Adventures of the ChibiScouts
by Tuxedo Will
Summary: When these Scouts come calling, they won't be selling cookies. Adventures of the ChibiScouts lands the girls in an alternative Sailor Moon universe where the Imperium Silver Crystal did far more than simply turn back the clock a year.


**Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts****  
****By "**_**Tuxedo**_**" Will Wolfshohl and Eric "**_**Greywolf**_**" den Biesen** (Parts 1 - 3)**  
****By "**_**Tuxedo**_**" Will Wolfshohl and Doug "**_**Candle Light Author**_**" Helm** (Parts 4+)

Those characters that are original and the story "_Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts_" are copyrighted ©1997 ShoujoFiction .com domain by Will Wolfshohl.

**Authors' Foreword:** By "_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl (July 1997)

Hello fellow Moonies. Well here it is finally. My fanfic, "_Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts_" here on known as _ACS_.

**ACS** started as in idea in September 1996. It has gone through a rough road of people, conflicting schedules, and delays. It's too complicated to go into here. There are various people involved with helping me bring this to you. Without their help, this story would not be possible. I'll go into more detail when the fanfic is completed.

**ACS** is _shoujo_ fanfic. If you want epic battles or graphic violence, then _ACS_ is not for you. If you read fanfics for the relationships and character development, IMHO you won't be disappointed. This story by its nature will have some very sweet scenes. _As a member of __Project CUTE__ (Chibi-Usa is Terrific Everywhere) (now defunct), I do not recommend ACS to diabetics or those with poor dental health due to the high sugar content of certain sections._ ;) **ACS** will use the English dub names and continuity where possible.

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon®, Sailor Scouts, and all terms, names, etc. associated with this or other series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, Disney, Bandai, Toei Animation, Kodansha, and other big companies. We make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should not be seen as making a claim.

This story and dozens of our other stories reside at **ShoujoFiction dot com** . Comments are welcomed.

This story takes place during the Reenie arc of the SMR series before the Four Sisters are turned good. So on with the show...

# # #

**Part 1 "The Chibi-Scouts Arrive"**

**O**n a beautiful Sunday afternoon, from a crystal clear sky the sun shone down upon the City of Tokyo. The city was bustling with activity as people got out to enjoy the lovely weather, except for one.

A little girl walked down the street with a pensive expression on her young face. Her puffy hair, done up in two ovoid '_meatballs_' and pigtails, was pink. Her red eyes were filled with sadness.

'I've got to find the Silver Imperium Crystal!' she thought anxiously, 'I've just GOT to!' Memories of the terrible trouble in her home of Crystal Tokyo flooded her mind. Tears filled her eyes as memories were relived and a faint crescent moon began to flicker unnoticed on her forehead. When the awful image of her mother trapped within crystal filled her mind, she could hold her grief back no longer! "**MOMMY!**" she cried. In her distress, her crescent moon sigil flashed brightly while releasing an energy beam into the bright blue sky.

# # # # #

At the Cherry Hill Temple, four fourteen year old girls were sitting in Raye's room discussing Rubeus and the Four Sister's possible next move. A fifth teenage girl in the room with golden blond hair, done up in '_meatballs_' with long trailing pigtails, was engrossed in a stack of Raye's comic books.

At another braying laugh from the girl, Raye turned to her in exasperation. "Serena! This is a Scout meeting! Do you think you can put those DOWN and PAY ATTENTION? Though '_think_' may be the wrong term to use in YOUR case!"

Serena put down the comic book she was reading and looked like she was going to wail for a moment before saying, "Raye! Why don't you just be quiet?" She suppressed the urge to wail as she would have done only a scant few months earlier in the same situation. Amy moved to intervene before the inevitable argument began when they all sensed it...

"**REENIE!**" Serena cried, her tears vanishing miraculously, "**Quick everyone! Transform!**"

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"  
"VENUS STAR POWER!"  
"**SCOUT POWER!**"

Once transformed, the Sailor Scouts headed for Reenie's location at a blistering pace, Luna and Artemis riding along on Sailor Moon's and Venus' shoulders, respectively.

# # # # #

"AHA! There you are, Rabbit!"

Reenie turned with a gasp and, seeing the grinning Prisma standing behind her, took off at a run. Prisma darted after her, and easily seized Reenie by the front bow on her school uniform. "I've got you now, Rabbit!" she gloated, "Rubeus is looking forward to the pleasure of your company!" Prisma laughed as Reenie struggled desperately to get free.

"**LET HER GO, NEGATRASH!**"

Prisma turned to see the Sailor Scouts standing there. "This is a day little children should enjoy!" Sailor Moon stated angrily, "For ruining her enjoyment of this lovely day, I, Sailor Moon..."

"Sailor Mars..."  
"Sailor Venus..."  
"Sailor Jupiter..."  
"Sailor Mercury..."

"In the name of the Moon, we will punish you!" they all finished together.

"Nice speech, Sailor BRATS!" Prisma said, looking bored. "I'd shoot your speechwriter if I were you!"

While Prisma was distracted by the arrival of the Sailor Scouts, Reenie continued her struggles to free herself from Prisma's grasp. She quickly managed to wiggle loose; Prisma hurriedly grabbed for the little girl seizing, instead, the necklace with the Time Key hanging from it. Reenie jerked free and the necklace snapped as she ran towards the Scouts. Sailor Moon ran to Reenie and grabbed her as Prisma moved towards them with vengeance in her eyes.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" Rings of fire burst from Sailor Mars' hands and blasted Prisma back.

Prisma picked herself off the ground. "That HURT, Fire Brat!" she snarled. "Since I don't have the Rabbit, maybe Rubeus will be interested in THIS instead!" 'And not be angry with me for losing her.' Although Prisma did not know its function, she knew it was not of twentieth century origin.

Reenie turned to look at Prisma and was horrified to see the broken chain with HER Key on it dangling from Prisma's hand. "**MY KEY!**" Reenie cried as she began to run towards Prisma.

'What's so important about that key?' Mercury wondered as she exchanged puzzled glances with the other Scouts.

Sailor Moon stopped Reenie's mad dash. "Reenie, I'll get your key back, I promise!" she said consolingly, "Please run to your home as fast as you can!"

'Without my key, I can't get home!' Reenie thought sadly and hesitated, 'Wait, this is Sailor Moon! If she says she'll get my key back, she WILL! She's not like that meatball head Serena!' Obediently, Reenie turned and ran for home.

"I'll get you later, Rabbit!" Prisma yelled after her. She raised her hand to initiate her teleport when...

"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" The lightning disk struck Prisma knocking her to the ground, the Key flying from her grasp to land several feet away.

"You'll PAY for that, Sailor Brats!" Prisma raged as she climbed to her feet. Sailor Venus somersaulted past Prisma, grabbed the Key off the ground, and power leapt over Prisma's head to rejoin her fellow Scouts.

"Way to go, Venus!" Sailor Moon cried admiringly.

Prisma's face darkened with fury. 'How DARE they take that key! It belongs to Rubeus!' she thought. The Sailor Scouts drew defensively together with Luna and Artemis in the middle, ready to counter any move the infuriated Prisma might make.

"**GIVE ME BACK THAT KEY!**" Prisma screamed. 'Rubeus will be furious!'

"Why don't you come and GET it?" Venus taunted her. That was it. With a scream of rage, the woman cut loose her black lightning aimed directly at Sailor Venus. Unable to dodge in time, Venus instinctively raised her hands to shield her face. Venus was astonished when, instead of striking her, the energy bolt struck the Key and was absorbed!

The Key immediately glowed with a white-hot fire causing Venus to drop it with a cry of pain. A pink ball of energy exploded from the Key and slowly engulfed both the stunned Sailor Scouts and their feline companions.

'What's happening?' they cried silently within the pink haze of the energy ball. After a few seconds, the pink ball collapsed. The Scouts stared at each other in utter shock. Where fourteen year old girls had once stood were now standing little children in Sailor Scout uniforms. The two cats with them were now kittens. So shocked were they by this development that none of them noticed the Key had vanished.

'This is too much to take on right now!' Prisma thought, awed by the sheer POWER of the energy surge. "I'll get you little brats later!" she snarled, "For now, Droid Itsy Bitsy Spider come forth!"

A Droid appeared, looking like a giant spider. "What is your bidding, Mistress?" it rasped in a low hissing voice.

"Destroy these children!" Prisma ordered.

The Droid looked at the child Scouts with anticipation in its eight eyes. "My pleasure, Mistress!" Prisma raised her hand and teleported away leaving the Droid to do its worst.

The Scouts continued to stare at each other. The shock and disbelief of seeing themselves as little children was just too much for them to take in all at once. "Look out, Mercury!" Luna cried as the Droid moved towards them.

The spider Droid blasted out a web of glowing energy at Mercury. She leapt over it nimbly and fired back. "MERCURY BUBBLES FREEZE!" she cried in a high piping voice. The attack struck the Droid and froze it solid.

"NOW, Sailor Moon!" Artemis cried. Sailor Moon stood there, staring in shocked revulsion at the frozen spider Droid and her new pint-sized form. As she did, the ice around the encased Droid began to crack ominously.

"**Sailor Moon! Snap out of it!** Do it NOW!" Mars yelled.

Sailor Moon shook herself. "Right, Mars!" Reaching into her subspace pocket, she pulled out her Moon Scepter.

"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" Energy poured out of the Scepter impacting the Droid, instantly turning it into dust. "Moondusted," a triumphant child-sized Sailor Moon crowed gleefully.

# # # # #

The Sailor Scouts and cats gathered together and resumed staring at each other, shock and confusion reining supreme in their eyes. "What's happened to us?" Venus finally spoke, asking the obvious question.

"Yeah! Look at us! We look like a bunch of preschool rejects!" Sailor Mars broke in.

"Mars! Calm down!" Luna commanded in a high-pitched voice as she looked at the excitable Scout. Sailor Moon started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Luna turned to her.

"Oh Luna, your voice sounds so funny... like a little girl's," Sailor Moon returned with yet another giggle.

"Well, you sound pretty ridiculous yourself!" Luna shot back indignantly.

"It's obvious that some sort of temporal transformation has taken place," Sailor Mercury broke in before an argument ensued, "I believe it had something to do with Reenie's key."

Sailor Jupiter began to glance around. "What's happened to the Key?" she asked worriedly. Everyone quickly began to search the ground but the Key was nowhere to be found.

"Well that's just GREAT!" Mars commented sarcastically, "**Now we're STUCK like THIS!**"

# # # # #

During this time, people were gathering and starting to stare from the other side of the street. They seemed to be attracted to this group of little girls in Sailor uniforms and the pile of dust where the Droid formerly stood. "Aren't they just adorable?" commented a woman in the crowd.

After a little bit Jupiter finally noticed the buzzing crowd across the street. "Uh, guys," she said urgently, "We're attracting an audience. Don't you think we ought to get out of here?"

Sailor Venus looked up. "Yeah, let's go back to the temple," she suggested, "We'll sort all this out there."

"Great idea, Venus!" Sailor Moon chimed in.

"Venus, aren't you forgetting something?" Mars commented, "**We're all little girls!** Do you think we can just waltz into the temple and have a meeting without Grandpa and Chad getting suspicious?"

Venus looked downcast, "Oh! Right, I forgot."

"Where CAN we go then?" Mercury asked worriedly.

"I have an idea!" Sailor Moon began brightly.

"Well, that's a first, Meatball Head!" Mars shot back.

Sailor Moon's eyes began to fill with tears. "Mars, why are you always so MEAN? WAAAAH!" she whined.

Luna looked up impatiently as the others covered their ears. "**HOLD IT!**" she commanded, "We DON'T have time for this! Now, what is your idea?"

Sailor Moon stopped in mid-wail and smiled. "Why not go to MY house?" she said happily.

Mars snorted, "And won't your parents and Sammy notice that you look JUST a _little_ different?"

"No, they won't!" Sailor Moon returned with a huge smile. She reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out the '_Lunar Pen_'. "We'll use the Lunar Pen!" she said excitedly, holding it up for everyone to see.

# # # # #

**Part 2 "A Strange New World"**

**S**ailor Moon held up the Lunar Pen and grinned widely. "We'll use the Lunar Pen!" she exclaimed, proud that she had thought of it before anyone else did. The others weren't so sure of the idea.

Luna shook her furry head, "I'm afraid that won't work, Sailor Moon. Its power is only temporary AND it can only work on one person at a time."

A flicker of irritation crossed Sailor Moon's young face. "It'll be long enough, Luna!" she retorted, "We only need a place to talk and figure out what happened." She thought for a moment. "I'm sure I can explain you guys to my parents _somehow_ so let's go!" The rest of her friends agreed that they didn't really have much choice in the matter and followed their leader home.

# # # # #

Once the Sailor Scouts and cats were out of sight of the curious, they ducked into a handy alley and detransformed back to their normal identities. They noticed immediately that their clothes had also changed to those appropriate for young children. Mina was dressed in an adorable orange jumpsuit with a picture of Mickey Mouse® on the front. Amy wore a blue skirt and matching top with the Sesame Street® logo on the front, while Raye, to her horror, was dressed in a jumpsuit of a light red with "_BARBIE_" across the front! Lita wore a green skirt and top that matched Amy's exactly, and lastly, Serena wore a skirt with Bugs Bunny® grinning from the matching top. She also wore a cute little backpack with the image of a pink bunny on the back.

Raye looked at everyone and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh brother!" she said in disgust, "These clothes go WAY beyond cute and into insane! I can't believe any of us would be caught DEAD in this stuff!"

Mina smiled. "I don't know," she commented looking at her own outfit, "I kinda like them."

Raye covered her eyes with one hand and sighed. "You would," she muttered under her breath as they exited the alley and continued on their way.

# # # # #

"Well," Luna said as they all stopped, "Your house is just down the street." She looked around the area carefully. "No one is nearby. Serena, now is as good a time as any to use the Lunar Pen." Serena nodded and reaching up, pulled the Pen from her subspace pocket.

"DISGUISE POWER!" she cried, "Turn me into a fourteen year old girl!" There was a bright flash of light, and when everyone could see again, Serena stood before them, looking the same as she did when she had left the house earlier in the day; the little pack had become her usual junior high school bookbag, with the bunny logo of course.

Serena looked down at the others and giggled. "Awwww," the petite teen cooed as she bent down, "You all are just SO cute!"

Raye's face turned red as her temper ignited. "Why don't you just shut up and get going, Meatball Head?" she retorted. Serena's eyes filled with tears, but to everyone's surprise, she fought it off and led the way to her house.

# # # # #

Serena stumbled and just managed to keep from falling on her face. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered as she stumbled again, 'Why am I having trouble walking? It's like my feet are too big for me!' Giggles came from the others as they noticed her problem. Lita and Amy seemed to find it especially amusing.

With another giggle, Mina began to skip ahead of the group while the others exchanged confused glances. 'Why is Mina acting so odd?' Amy wondered. Judging by the expressions of her companions, her friends were thinking the same thing. She shrugged and continued with the others.

# # # # #

Reenie was sitting by the front window of the Tsukino home when they approached. Her eyes widened with worry as she failed to see the one person she was waiting for. Reenie got up and ran from the house. "Serena!" she cried.

Serena looked up at Reenie's call and sighed in exasperation. 'Oh great,' she thought, 'What's the '_little fungus_' up to THIS time?' Reenie ran right past the disguised Serena much to her surprise. As she ran past, Serena noticed the Time Key dangling from around Reenie's neck; the others also saw the Time Key as well so they gave a group sigh of relief, but the surprises weren't over yet.

Reenie came to a stop, while looking around frantically. 'Where is she?' she thought in concern, 'Where IS she?' She noticed the teenager standing with the girls and walked up to her. "Hello, Miss," she said politely, "I'm Reenie Tsukino. Would you happen to know where my little cousin, Serena, might be?"

Serena looked back at Reenie in surprise. 'Whom is she calling little? And just who do you think I am, you munchkin?'

She was just about to repeat her indignant thought out loud when she saw her mother come out of the house with a VERY worried expression on her face. "Where's my little Serena?" she asked worriedly, "Why isn't she here? Miss, what's happened to her?"

Confused, Serena didn't answer as she tried to figure out why her own mother didn't recognize her. At a tug on her skirt, she looked down to see Amy trying to get her attention. She leaned down to listen to her friend. "They seem to expect you to be a little girl, like us." Amy whispered. "Somehow, reality must have changed as well. Leave, undisguise yourself, and then come back."

'Well, it's worth a try.' With a slight nod, Serena straightened up and turned to her worried mother. "It's all right, Mrs. Tsukino," Serena explained trying to sound natural, "Serena just forgot something. She'll be here in a minute. I have to go now, but I'll hurry her along!"

'Sounds like my Serena...' "Thank you, dear," Mrs. Tsukino said gratefully. She watched as Serena walked away. 'She looks sort of like my little girl...' she thought, 'I think Serena will look a lot like that nice young lady when she's older.' She winced as Serena stumbled. 'Though, a lot more graceful, I hope!'

Serena disappeared around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, she undisguised herself. 'Back to munchkin size... At least NOW, I can walk better!' she thought. Relieved, she was about to return to the others, when she noticed her backpack lying on the ground next to her. She stared at it, puzzled, then shrugged, and picked it up.

# # # # #

Serena returned to where the others, along with her mother and Reenie, were waiting. At the sight of her, Reenie let out a cry of relief and ran to meet her. Upon reaching her, Reenie caught her up in a big hug, to Serena's extreme surprise.

'Huh? Why is Reenie hugging me?' She looked up, shocked that Reenie was so much bigger than she was. 'I never KNEW she was so tall!'

"I'm glad you're all right," Reenie said softly, "I was really worried that something bad might have happened to you!" Serena said nothing, her tongue so paralyzed by shock at her cousin being worried about her that she could do nothing else but play along.

The relieved look on her mother's face as they walked up was sobering. 'She must REALLY think I'm a little girl!'

"You had me worried, dear," her mother admonished gently, "You really shouldn't go off by yourself like that."

Serena smiled at her in reassurance. "You didn't have to worry, Mom," she explained, "I just dropped my backpack and had to go back and get it." 'And it's not a lie if you look at it the right way.'

Mrs. Tsukino studied her young daughter for a moment. "Mom? You usually call me '_Mommy_'," she stated as her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Just what have you been up to, young lady?"

Serena assumed an innocent look on her face. "Why, nothing, MOMMY." There was a chorus of giggles from the girls, who were really enjoying their friend's discomfort.

Her mother continued to stare at her, and then finally smiled. "That's fine, dear, but I'll find out about it eventually you know. Now, come in, children." And following Serena's mother, they all entered the house.

Reenie grabbed Serena by the hand and led her in. "C'mon!" she said happily as she moved to the stairs, "Let's all go up to your room and play!"

Serena looked at Reenie blankly. "Play?" she repeated incredulously, "Waddaya mean... OOF!" Serena rubbed her side where Raye had nudged her. She glared at her before saying, "Uh, oh yeah, right. Play," she said unenthusiastically as Reenie pulled her up the stairs. The others were trying not to giggle as they followed.

# # # # #

They were passing Sammy's room when he stepped out and smirked at his sister. "Hey, Rabbit Ears," he said snidely, "Did something dumb again, huh? Gee, I sure got the bottom of the barrel when I got you as a sister! I wonder if I can trade you in for a new model?" He laughed nastily.

Serena was about to respond in kind, when to her horror, she burst into tears. Before anyone could say or do anything, Reenie cut loose with all the fury of a she-wolf defending her cub.

"Why you little FUNGUS! You SPORE! You DWEEBSTER!" Reenie cried in outrage, "**How DARE you make Serena cry? How DARE you?** If she's the bottom of the barrel, then YOU'RE from six feet UNDER!"

Serena and the others watched in open-mouthed shock as Sammy backed away under the verbal barrage from the seven year old that was reminiscent of Serena at her best. Seeing Sammy get blasted by insults that she had used effectively against Reenie made Serena start to feel a little guilty, but she was enjoying seeing her brother get routed too much for it to last long.

"Reenie, please hold it down!" Mrs. Tsukino said sternly as she came up to investigate the yelling. She surveyed the sight of Serena in tears, Reenie going after Sammy angrily, and lastly, Sammy looking slightly guilty. She sighed wearily. 'I wish he'd stop picking on his little sister,' she thought to herself. Having been through this situation many times, Ellen Tsukino had her response memorized. "Children, go on to Serena's room and play quietly," she said gently. She then turned to an apprehensive Sammy. "As for YOU, young man," she said firmly, "To your room! MARCH! We are going to have a little TALK!" Grasping her preteen son firmly by the shoulder, she led him into his room and closed the door behind her.

"Please don't cry, Serena!" Reenie begged as she hugged her, "I'll make sure _he_ doesn't hurt you!"

To Serena's surprise, her own arms went around Reenie as she hugged her tight. For some reason, she felt much better; Serena liked having a "_big sister_" guarding her. Serena sniffled, wiped her eyes, and smiled shakily at Reenie. After a moment, they all turned and walked into Serena's room.

# # # # #

After they entered Serena's room, the girls noticed the difference at once. Serena looked around, wide-eyed. 'I don't remember this! My comics! What happened to my COMICS?' Stuffed toy animals, mostly bunnies, lined the shelves. Coloring books, dolls, wallpaper with bunnies and teddy bears were all present. The word '_cute_' couldn't even begin to describe it. Raye put her finger in her mouth, as if she was about to puke, and made a gagging noise. Even Serena looked like she swallowed something, and it moved.

"C'mon Serena!" Reenie exclaimed as she skipped further into the room, "Let's play!" She again took Serena by the hand leading her to where some stuffed bunnies were sitting.

"We have to talk!" Amy said urgently. Raye stared meaningfully at Reenie. Amy got the point at once.

"Can you think of a way to get rid of her?" Lita asked worriedly careful to keep the older girl from hearing. Mina shook her head.

"Not without hurting her feelings," Amy agreed, "And after seeing the way she defended Serena, I'm reluctant to do that." The girls pondered what to do next for a few moments as they amusingly watched Serena and Reenie play.

"REENIE!" came Mrs. Tsukino's voice from downstairs, "Please come down and help me get dinner ready, dear!"

"'Kay Aunt Ellen!" Reenie called back. She put the stuffed bunny down, sighing in disappointment. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Serena," she promised with a wink and a smile, then sighing like a martyr on her way to a last meal, left the room.

"Thank you, Mrs. Tsukino," Raye breathed after the girl had left the room.

Lita went to the door to make sure no one was within listening range. Satisfied, she turned back to the others. "What the heck is going on here?" she asked urgently, "Everyone seems to think that our looking like this, is normal! No one was surprised at all!"

Amy reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out her computer which everyone noticed at once had shrunk so that it still fit comfortably into her now smaller hands. She activated the computer and immediately initiated some scans. The others stood around waiting impatiently, except for Serena and Mina. Drawn to the discarded bunnies lying on the floor, the two girls walked over and picked them up.

After several minutes, Amy's computer beeped imperiously. At a touch of a button, Amy called up the computer's analysis. "Hmmm... Interesting," she muttered as she studied the results.

"Well?" Raye demanded.

"According to this, a temporal shift has occurred," Amy explained, "Somehow, Prisma's lightning blast caused that Key, Reenie wears, to change us and everyone else." Amy paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Reenie is still wearing the Key," she continued, "So obviously, it wasn't affected. The scan shows that, physically, we are all approximately five years of age." She turned to look at the two kittens. "Luna, Artemis, you are, physically, approximately three months old. Comparing your physiology to normal cats, that is. Fortunately, our mental facilities haven't been affected."

Raye looked rather doubtfully at Amy. "Are you sure?" she said as she pointed to where Serena and Mina were playing happily with stuffed animals.

Amy studied the two girls, a perplexed expression on her face. "This is a different reality for us," she continued her analysis, "Everyone here knows and believes us to be five years old. I believe it would be in our best interest if we allowed them to continue in this belief." She shook her head as she thought of all the work she had ahead of her. "This is going to take a great deal of further analysis before I can even_begin_ to suggest a possible remedy for this situation." Amy concluded with her hands raised in a gesture of helplessness.

Mina heard the last of Amy's analysis as she and Serena rejoined the others. "Why do we have to act like five year olds?" Mina asked curiously.

Amy sighed and turned to Mina, "Mina, if we suddenly started acting like fourteen year olds, everyone who knows us will think something is wrong." Amy explained patiently, "Our parents would likely take us to a hospital, and maybe we'd be put in an institution! Also, if this is a parallel reality, we must not disrupt it or grave consequences could result." Amy looked around at the others, and she didn't look any happier with her conclusions than they did. "For now, girls, we are five for the duration!"

# # # # #

Downstairs, the phone rang and the girls heard Serena's mother answer it. After a couple of minutes, she appeared at the door. "Raye, that was your grandfather and he'd like you to come home right away," she announced. "And, girls, I think it's best if the rest of you head home too. It's getting late." She turned and left the room heading back to the kitchen to finish making dinner.

"Late? What does she mean, late?" Raye exclaimed. Since she no longer had her wristwatch and Serena's alarm clock was missing, she looked out the window. "It's still at least an hour before sunset!"

Amy leaned over to Raye. "We're five, _remember_?" she whispered, "Earlier bedtimes."

At that, Raye looked utterly disgusted. "Great, just frigging great," she mumbled, "I knew there'd be a major downer to this '_five year old_' business!"

"Well, girls," Artemis piped up, "I think we'd better do as Mrs. Tsukino asked. There's nothing more we can do today. We'll meet again tomorrow."

Everyone agreed as Mina picked Artemis up. Saying their good-byes, Mina with Artemis, Raye, Amy, and Lita headed down the stairs and out the door.

# # # # #

**Part 3 "Mothers and Daughters"**

"**B**ye, Serena!" Amy called as she and the others walked out the door, "See ya tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see if you can be on time, for once, Meatball Head," Raye grumbled.

Mina and Lita called their respective good-byes as they waved at Serena and her mother watching from the door. When they reached the front walk, they split up to go their separate ways. Mina and Artemis headed back to her home, Raye to the temple, Amy and Lita to their respective apartments.

Once the children had passed from sight, Mrs. Tsukino closed the door. "Okay, Serena," she said firmly, "Now that your little friends have gone home, come into the kitchen and help us get dinner ready."

"Yes, Mommy," Serena squeaked reluctantly as she followed her mother into the kitchen, where Reenie greeted her happily.

# # # # #

'Act like a five year old she says!' Lita thought as she walked towards her apartment building, 'Yeah, right.' Her face was slightly flushed indicating that she was just a little bit displeased with the way things were going. "I HATE being little. I was too tall before and now..." she muttered to herself, "I can just see me trying to reach my cooking stuff! Let alone everything else!" She opened the door to her building with more effort than usual, and entered.

# # # # #

Amy punched a command into her minicomputer as she walked, and studied the screen as it responded. 'All this analysis is going to take a LONG time!' she thought wearily as she continued working while she walked home.

When the third person stopped to stare at her as she passed, Amy finally took notice that she was drawing unwanted attention. 'Hmmm. Maybe I should put this away,' she thought uneasily, 'After all, how many five year olds have portable laptop computers? It doesn't even look like a toy one.'

Amy carefully put her minicomputer away into her subspace pocket, and continued on home, but now, a new feeling made itself known. She sensed that people were STILL watching her. She shivered as a wave of fear overcame her. 'I feel so helpless being THIS small! What would I do if someone grabbed me? Could I transform fast enough?' No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake that feeling of helplessness. By the time she reached her building, she was almost running. She pulled the door open and ran inside with a sigh of relief. 'I don't think I like being five again!'

Amy opened the door to her apartment and entered. Closing the door, she turned to locate her mother. 'I hope Mom's not working at the hospital today. I don't want to be by myself.' The smell of food and industrious sounds coming from the kitchen indicated that her mother was indeed home and busily preparing dinner. 'Great, Mom's home,' she thought relieved. 'I wonder what Mom will be like? I'll have to be careful how I talk to her,' Amy mused to herself. She quickly regarded the living room and hallway beyond as she made her way to the kitchen. 'Well, everything looks about the same... Strange though, the apartment seems somewhat larger... It must be my new prospective,' she giggled to herself.

When a giggling Amy entered the kitchen, her mother turned from the stove with a smile. 'I wonder why she's in such a good mood?' "Hi dear. Did you have fun at Serena's?"

"Yes Mom." 'At least, I don't have to call her '_Mommy_' like Serena,' Amy giggled to herself. She walked over to her mother who leaned down and gave Amy a hug and a kiss on the forehead. 'She hasn't done that in awhile. I miss it.'

Mrs. Anderson turned back to the stove and stirred a pot. "You're in a good mood, Amy. I'll have dinner ready in a little while. I hope you and Lita behaved yourselves and didn't cause Mrs. Tsukino any trouble."

Facing the stove, her mother missed the confused look that crossed Amy's young face. 'Me and Lita?'

Her mother turned and looked around the room. Now there was a slight look of worry on her face. "So, Amy where _is_ Lita?" she asked in a slightly anxious tone, "You KNOW that you both should stay together, just to be safe."

Amy kept her face expressionless although her mind was moving at lightning speed. 'What is going on here?' she thought perplexed. 'Why would Mom be so interested in Lita? Something very strange is happening here!'

She smiled at her mother. "I was with Lita just a little while ago, Mom," Amy answered, no hint of her increasing confusion showing in her voice. "Don't worry. She's okay." Something was nagging at her, and after a moment, she realized what it was. "Mom, I have to go to my room for something. I'll be right back." Amy took off before getting a reply.

Amy's mother stared after her and shook her head in resignation. 'She's probably at the playground again! What is it about that child that she can't seem to pass by there without stopping?' She shook her head again and turned back to her dinner preparations. 'When Amy comes back, I'll have her go and pry Lita away from the playground.' She sighed and a soft smile crossed her face.

'If there's a place where I can get some answers, it's likely my room,' Amy thought as she hurried from the kitchen and into the living room on the way to her bedroom. She noticed a picture in a silver frame sitting on the table, next to the couch. She frowned. There was something _odd_ about that particular picture. She expected that, but from this distance, she couldn't quite tell what it was. Amy's curiosity was now piqued.

Amy walked up to the table and picked up the picture. She smiled in remembrance at the picture. She knew this picture well. It was a photograph of her mother and herself taken at the carnival about six months ago when her mother had managed a rare day off from the hospital to spend with her. Amy regarded it. 'Yes, there's Mom, and me looking about four or five and... Who's this? Oh my goodness! **It's LITA!**' she gasped, 'What's Lita doing in this photograph? She wasn't with us!'

Amy placed the picture carefully back on the table and ran to the hall, where other family photographs hung. Pictures of her, her mother, and LITA! 'Hmmm. She must live with us,' she reasoned, 'But why? Wait a second. Lita is five, so how can she live on her own?' Her eyes widened in consternation. 'She doesn't know she's supposed to be here! I'd better go tell her right away!'

She turned to leave. 'Wait, I'm a little girl. I can't just walk out without telling Mom.' She rushed back to the kitchen. "Mom?"

Her mother turned from the stove. "Yes, dear?"

"Mom, can I please go get Lita?" Amy asked hesitantly. "You know how she can be sometimes." 'I hope that's enough.'

Her mother nodded and turned back to her dinner preparations. "Yes, dear, I know," she answered. 'Lita always forgets what time it is.' "I think you better tell your sister to come home right now, and be careful, Amy."

'MY SISTER?' Amy thought, stunned. "Okay Mom." She ran from the kitchen. Pulling on a jacket, she ran out the door, heading for Lita's apartment. 'Lita, _my_ sister?'

# # # # #

As Lita approached the door of her apartment, she reached into her pocket for her keys. A frown crossed her face as she failed to find them. She reached into her other pocket. Nothing. 'Great. Just great. Now I've lost my keys!' she thought angrily, 'What _else_ can happen to me today?' A surge of anger, surprising her with its intensity, overwhelmed her, and she began to kick and pound on the door furiously. 'This is so frustrating!' she fumed. 'I think I'll transform and give that blasted door a little zap! That'll fix it!'

Before she could retrieve her transformation wand from her subspace pocket, the apartment door opened and an elderly man peered out cautiously. At seeing Lita, he relaxed and smiled. "Yes, little girl?" he asked, "Can I help you with something?" 'She's a cute little thing.'

The little ponytailed girl stared up at him in confusion. She had half-hoped it was her mother alive again opening the door for her. "No thank you, sir," she replied hesitantly, "I live here and I was locked out."

The old man shook his head before regarding Lita thoughtfully, 'I haven't seen her before. The poor child must be lost or confused.' "I'm sorry, little one," he said, "But you must be lost. You definitely don't live here. Tell me your mother's name. I may know her and I can take you to the right apartment."

'I don't have a Mom.' Lita blinked at the unexpected tears in her eyes, and her lower lip trembled. "B-but... but... I DO live here!"

He studied his young visitor and saw she was on the verge of tears. "I'll tell you what, honey," he said soothingly, "You come in here with me, and I'll notify the Police. They can help you find your mother in no time. You'll see."

She looked past him, into the apartment, and saw that nothing was familiar. 'He's right,' she thought, the realization finally hitting her, 'I-I don't live here. I'm five so I can't be on my own!' She looked up at him and smiled with an effort. "It's okay. I remember where I live. Thank you, sir!" She turned and walked down the hall as the elderly man closed the door.

Lita stopped a short way down the hall and thought, 'I'm five, and I have no parents. Where am I supposed to be? No one wants me.' She leaned her head against the wall as the tears flowed. She knew she should be figuring things out, that crying wouldn't help, but the tears kept coming, and nothing she could do would stop them. She put a hand to her mouth to muffle the sobs as she lost control entirely.

# # # # #

Amy arrived at Lita's apartment building at a run and rushed through the door and into the elevator. She reached up on her tiptoes, pushed the button for Lita's floor, and waited impatiently as the elevator rose. When it stopped, she was out the door almost before it had opened.

She saw her friend leaning against the wall, crying. "Lita! What's wrong?" Amy cried as she rushed over. "Did something happen?" 'I've never seen Lita cry.'

"A-Amy! I-I guess you could say that," Lita sobbed in reply. "My apartment _isn't_ my apartment anymore! I don't know where I belong, and **I just can't stop crying!**" Another loud sob followed.

'Poor Lita. I should have realized before she left...' Amy hugged her friend almost in tears herself. "Lita, I know where you belong!"

Lita stopped crying and regarded her friend. "You do?"

Amy grinned. "Uh-huh. You live with me... Sister!"

Lita's eyes grew wide as she stared at Amy. "S-Sister?" she whispered.

Amy nodded happily. "Isn't it great? As near as I can determine, Mom must have adopted you and thus, we are sisters. Which reminds me, SIS, '_our_' Mom will be furious if we don't head back home now."

Lita smiled hesitantly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Then I guess we'd better head for home, Am... uh... Sis."

# # # # #

Amy's mother looked up as the front door opened. When Amy led Lita in, she relaxed. "Where have you two been?" she demanded. "I was starting to get worried!"

"I'm sorry, uh... Mommy," Lita replied shyly, a rush of emotion flooding over her. "I stopped at the playground on the way home." That was the explanation she and Amy had agreed to tell her.

"Next time, I want the two of you to stick together," she said sternly. "You're too young to go off wandering by yourselves." 'Lita looks like she was crying. I wonder what she got into now?' She reached down to Lita and hugged her fiercely. Lita hesitated at first but then returned it wholeheartedly. Amy noticed tears returning to Lita's eyes.

Amy felt a twinge of jealousy at the tender scene playing itself out before her. 'That's likely the first loving hug she's received since her folks died,' she realized. At that thought, the jealousy vanished and she felt a warm feeling rise to take its place. 'Lita finally has a mother, and a good one too.' Amy smiled.

"Okay, children," Mrs. Anderson said as she released Lita and stood. "Dinner is ready and on the table, so let's all go to the dining room and eat." Obediently, the two girls followed '_their_' mother into the dining room.

Amy was about to serve herself, as usual, when her mother interrupted. "You'd better let me do that, dear," she said with a smile, "You're a little young for that yet. Besides, that pan is heavy and you may spill it." Lita almost burst out laughing at the chagrined expression on Amy's face turning it into a cough at the last moment. "I hope you're not coming down with a cold, dear," Mrs. Anderson said in concern as she turned to Lita.

"I'm all right, Mommy," Lita replied hurriedly, "But I'm _very_ hungry!" Mrs. Anderson smiled and began to dish out the food.

Lita enjoyed the dinner. It was nearly in the same league as her own cooking. 'Amy never mentioned her mom could cook like this.'

# # # # #

After dinner, Amy and Lita headed into '_their_' room. As they entered, they looked around curiously. It's definitely different than either of them remembered it. There was no mistaking that this was the room of two little girls There was one bed where they both slept.

"Well..." Lita turned to Amy with an expression of relief. "It's cute, but not in Serena's league. At least, I'll be able to sleep without worrying about all those stuffed rabbits and things smothering me to death while I'm asleep!" Amy giggled at Lita's comment as they both entered the room to explore it, and become familiar with its contents.

In the background, Amy heard her mother running the bathtub. 'Hmmm, Mom's taking a shower,' she thought, 'That's good. This should give us some time to discuss things.'

However, after a few short moments, her mother came into the room. "Okay, you two, into the tub," she ordered.

"Tub?" Lita squeaked weakly.

"Both of us, TOGETHER?" Amy added, shocked.

"Of course, girls," she answered, amused, "It's faster that way. Let's get going." They followed her into the bathroom where a bubblebath had been prepared.

Lita waited to close the door, but it was obvious from the way she was readying things, that their mother had no intention of leaving. 'Is she going to stay in here, **WITH US?**' Lita wondered.

Mrs. Anderson walked up to Lita and began to undress her. "What are you doing?" she squawked, shocked.

Mrs. Anderson smiled. "Undressing you, Silly!" Taking the hint, Amy began to remove her own clothes.

"Hey! What happened to my bra?" Lita asked without thinking when her top was pulled off. She knew she had put one on this morning. With her bosom, she wasn't likely to forget, and then she realized her mistake. 'Oops...'

"Bra?" Mrs. Anderson said, turning a puzzled look on brown-haired daughter.

"We're not playing grownup anymore, silly Lita!" Amy piped in brightly covering her new sister's faux pas. She then giggled. ''_Silly Lita_'... Maybe this will be fun after all.'

Her mother turned a stern eye on them. "You two weren't in my underwear drawer again, were you?"

"No, I was just pretending, uh, Mommy," Lita answered innocently.

"Good," Mrs. Anderson said relieved. 'It took me almost an hour to clean it up after the last time.' "Now, into the tub, both of you." Amy and Lita climbed reluctantly into the tub. They both were blushing innocently and were nearly as red as beets. They kept their faces turned away lest their mother notice their embarrassment.

Mrs. Anderson walked out, but left the door wide open. "I can't believe this, Amy," Lita mumbled in embarrassment, "Look at us, in the tub together! Why is your mom doing this to us?" 'I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life!'

Amy looked thoughtful. "She's OUR mom now, Lita," she pointed out being careful to speak softly enough that her mother wouldn't overhear her, "And I remember that she never let me bathe totally unattended until I was six."

Lita looked surprised. "Now that you mention it," she returned slowly, "My mom did that to me too." 'And even then...'

They both looked at each other and broke out in a fit of giggles. "It's kind of fun to be in a bubblebath again," Amy remarked wistfully. "I haven't had one in a long time."

Lita also had a wistful expression on her young face. "Me neither." 'Even with Amy in here with me, there's plenty of room to move around.' A mischievous expression replaced it as a sudden impulse came to her. 'What the heck?' She splashed Amy, who looked at her in shocked surprise, and with a sudden grin, splashed her back.

At the chorus of giggles and splashing, Mrs. Anderson came back in. "Now, you two stop that!" she admonished trying to be stern, though her expression softened as she looked down at the two guilty-looking little girls. 'Honestly, those two can never take a bath in peace. I can't blame them though. It did look like fun.'

"Yes, Mommy," they both chorused, and looking at each other, they giggled again.

Mrs. Anderson came back every few minutes and peered into the bathroom to check on her two young daughters. Finally, she came in with two towels and two sets of clothing over her arm. The girls realized what it meant. The last thing either of them wanted to do was get out as it was an enjoyable experience for each of them. "OK, Lita, you first." Obediently, Lita climbed from the tub and was wrapped in a large towel. "Now you, Amy." Within moments, Mrs. Anderson was drying off two giggling squirming children. When she was done, she dressed them in their pajamas, each covered with cute little animals. Kittens for Amy, and ponies for Lita. Though inwardly embarrassed at the childish outfits, the two girls accepted them in resignation blushing to some degree.

"Now there's my two good little girls," Mrs. Anderson said and then lifted a child in each arm, and with a girl leaning in blissful contentment on each shoulder, she headed for the living room. 'Boy, they're getting big. I won't be able to do this much longer.' She seated herself on the couch, and positioned the two children on her lap. She reached over to the side table and picked up a book. Opening it, she proceeded to read them a fairy tale, which held them both enthralled.

After reading for a time, Mrs. Anderson glanced at the clock, and closing the book, replaced it on the table. "OK, girls," she said firmly, "Time for bed. You two have school tomorrow, don't forget."

Lita looked at the clock. "But it's only 7:30!" she objected.

Mrs. Anderson smiled in pleasant surprise. "That's right, Lita!" she beamed proudly, "The big hand is on the six and the little hand is on the seven!" Both girls developed major sweatdrops on their heads as their mother marched them off to bed.

# # # # #

Mrs. Anderson tucked Amy and Lita both in, and kissed each little girl on the cheek. "Goodnight, Amy. Goodnight, Lita," she said sweetly as she turned off the light. She left, but kept the bedroom door open so the hall light shone in. A small nightlight in the room also became visible.

"'Night Mommy," they chorused.

Lita felt something she hadn't felt in a long time, not since before her parents died. "You know, Amy, your mom is really nice," she said wistfully, "She reminds me a lot of _my_ mom."

Amy turned over to regard her. "Your mom must have been wonderful then," she finally mused. "But while we're here, she's _our_ mom, Sis."

Lita smiled at that. "You're right. OUR mom is great," she agreed. "I think I'll enjoy this while it lasts... Sis." Amy smiled back, and they both decided that sleep would be a good idea at this point. It had been an eventful day, but they knew tomorrow was bound to be interesting as the two little girls faded off to sleep.

# # # # #

**Part 4 "Two Bunnies in a Pod"**

**A**t the same time that Amy and Lita were heading home from the Tsukino house, Mina and Artemis were also making their way home. Mina felt full of life and energy. She hadn't felt this good in some time. It was if all her worries were gone. After a little bit, Mina found that she had the urge to run, like the wind. She didn't try to fight it.

"Mina!" Artemis mewed in a ragged voice, "Mina! Wait up!" He stopped running and sucked in a great gulp of air. "I can't run as fast as you!" he called after her. 'Jeez, what's gotten into her?'

Mina stopped and turned around to look at Artemis, his little chest was heaving, drawing in great gulps of air. Giving a slightly put off look Mina skipped back to the white kitten and bending down, she said, "Okay, '_kitty_'... I'll carry you." She blinked as Artemis backed away from her hand. "What's the matter?" Mina asked. 'Come on. I wanna run! I have all this energy... Like I was hooked up to a fresh battery...'

"I want to run too," Artemis admitted in a more normal yet small voice, "Just not so fast. Remember, your legs are still bigger than mine are. I have a hard enough time keeping up with you when we're both big. Let's run, but slower, please Mina?"

Mina and Artemis started to run but at a slower pace. But now, after a few more moments, Mina decided she didn't want to run anymore but skip. Starting to skip, she once again began increasing her interval with Artemis as he slowly fell further behind. As she rounded a corner, looking back, she saw that Artemis was lagging. "Come on, '_kitty_'!" Turning, she waited for him to catch up.

As she waited as a car passed her, a single thought popped into her head, 'Wheel.' Now why would she think '_wheel_'? Noting that Artemis was taking his time by walking, Mina began to tap her foot. She could feel the energy level building within her again. It had dissipated somewhat with her running and skipping. "Hurry up!" she called to the feline impatiently but he didn't move any faster. Mina gave a sigh and was about to go and get the kitten when she had an impulsive urge. Making sure the sidewalk was clear Mina tried to do a cartwheel.

She made it to where her hands were on the ground and her feet into the air but she didn't have enough momentum to carry through the motion. 'I can't fall! I'm good at cartwheels!' Mina thought trying desperately at least to maintain a handstand but it was no use. She started to tumble. With a loud THUD, her bottom hit the pavement. Mina gasped, 'That hurt!' Her eyes started to fill with tears and she sniffled.

Artemis, having seen his charge fall at first, wasn't overly concerned. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Mina try an acrobatic move and fall on her behind. She normally didn't do such moves on the sidewalk though. Then when he saw the tears that were running down her young face, he raced up to her and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?" Mina nodded and gave another sniffle. "Mina, why did you do such a thing?" Artemis questioned.

"I just wanted to," Mina replied wiping her tears away from her face.

"Well let's go home before anything else happens," Artemis huffed. Mina nodded and after getting up, her tears disappeared. She started to skip at a slower pace so that Artemis could keep up. After a few more minutes, they arrived at Mina's home and entered.

# # # # #

Raye pounded quickly and furiously through the streets towards the Cherry Hill Temple. 'Kami, the sooner I get out of these clothes the better!' She gave a guttural noise of disgust at her juvenile outfit. 'It looks like something Meatball Head would wear! Just too bloody cute for me! Why would I EVER dress like this?' Rounding a corner, she headed down the street towards the steps that would lead up to the temple grounds. 'I'm hungry... I'll have Chad make me something while I get changed out of this walking commercial.'

As she started to climb the long steps, she yawned expansively, 'Why am I so tired? I know Serena can make anybody tired but still...' Stopping and shaking her head slightly, Raye tried to clear her thoughts. "I hope I'm not coming down with something... That's all I need, to be sick and a little kid too!" Raye muttered acidically as she started up the steps again. 'I'll consult the Great Fire. Maybe it can help give, at least ME, a way out of this mess. I _refuse_ to be five!'

As she came over the top step, she saw her grandfather waiting with a slightly irritated look on his face. "Hi Pumpkin, you know you shouldn't stay out so late. I shouldn't have to call to remind you what time it is."

'Pumpkin? I guess I'll play along.' "I'm sorry, Grandpa."

"You know Chad is off tonight," Grandpa Hino said as he came over to his young granddaughter. "So he won't be able to look after you." He gave her a piercing look. "Do you think you can get along okay without him, Raye?"

'Why would I need Chad to take care of me?' Raye scoffed silently, and then she noticed her grandfather waiting expectantly for a reply. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I can take care of myself." 'I've been taking care of myself as well as you for years.'

Grandpa Hino smiled at her. "You're a good little girl, Raye. Now come along, supper's ready. I've made you a wonderful supper." As he headed for the dining room of the temple, he added, "If you're extra good, you can have some dessert too."

"Okay Grandpa," Raye answered and followed her grandfather to have supper. 'He's sure acting strange.'

# # # # #

Serena and Reenie were helping Mrs. Tsukino prepare supper. Serena for her part found it very boring. 'I already know this stuff,' she thought, 'As long as I'm five, I want to go play! This seems too much like school! How can Reenie be interested in this?' Reenie was avidly watching her '_aunt_' prepare the meal while asking various questions. In Crystal Tokyo, she had rarely seen her mother make meals and it was unheard of for her, the Crown Princess, to be allowed to help. So to Reenie this was, at worst, interesting. She liked helping her aunt though and with her young cousin there, it made it a little more fun too.

"Serena dear, could you get me the lettuce out of the refrigerator?"

"'Kay Mommy," Serena squeaked trying to stifle her bored tone. Walking over, she tugged on the door to open it.

"Want some help?" Mrs. Tsukino asked.

"No thanks, Mommy, I can do it," Serena answered. 'It shouldn't be this tough... The fridge must be stuck.' Gritting her teeth, she placed her foot on the counter and gave a mighty yank while pushing off with her foot. It had the desired effect. The door opened but Serena was sent skidding back. She found herself giggling. 'That was kinda fun!' she thought. Noticing the disapproving look that her mother was sending her, Serena clambered to her feet and retrieved the lettuce. For good measure, she closed the door before handing her mother the requested item.

"Thank you, Serena," her mother said before turning back to her work.

"You're welcome, Mommy," Serena answered beaming happily that she had actually done something right for once. 'No klutz attack!' Soon, though, her feeling of pride was replaced, once again, with boredom, and, in addition, a sense of being left out as she watched Reenie help her mother chop the vegetables for the salad. "Mommy, can't I help cut the stuff too?" Serena asked, hope shining in her blue eyes. 'I want SOMETHING to do...'

"Sorry, Serena, you're too little to handle sharp knives. You might hurt yourself. Soon, you'll grow bigger and then you can help me."

Serena folded her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. Reenie seeing this leaned over and whispered, "Hey, you're lucky, Serena." Serena took on a puzzled expression. "It isn't as much fun as you think."

'Well as long as she isn't having fun...' Serena thought. "Okay," she consented and stopped her pouting. "Can't I do ANYTHING?" Serena pleaded.

Wiping her hands, Ellen took some plates out of the cupboard and setting them on a stool turned to Serena. "Why don't you give everyone a plate?"

'That's it?' Serena complained, 'That's the _big_ job?' After a moment of thinking on it, she came to one conclusion, 'It might be a dumb job but at least it's SOMETHING!' Sighing slightly, she chirped, "'Kay Mommy." She walked over and attempted to lift the entire pile of dishes.

"No Serena," Ellen cautioned, "Take them one at a time. There's too many for you to take all at once."

"One at a time?" Serena questioned. 'That's a lot more work...'

"Yeah," Reenie agreed jumping off of her stool, "Like this." Reaching over, she snagged one of the plates and walked over to the table before carefully setting it in place.

Serena opened her mouth to protest but Amy's words came back to her. 'I'm supposed to be five...' Picking up one plate, she walked over to the table and set it down. Both Reenie and her mother nodded in approval. 'This is going to take forever!' Serena's mind whined.

# # # # #

After Serena had finished setting the plates on the table, she was given other small tasks to do. At first, she had to stop herself from protesting but, as time passed, she found herself slipping more into the five year old role. She was able to help '_Mommy_' and that's what really mattered to her. The old thoughts of being fourteen and trying to prove herself an adult didn't even enter her mind.

Ellen stopped for a moment after all was ready. She sat down at the table. "Reenie, Serena, come here." Both girls complied. "I'm very happy with how you helped out. You two were really good." She gave each girl a hug.

Serena eagerly drank in the hug. It had been a long time since she had been hugged that way by her mother and she enjoyed it. She was also happy that her mother was proud of her for once. 'I didn't do anything stupid!' Serena crowed gleefully to herself.

"Now, you two, go wash up for supper," Serena's mother instructed.

Reenie took Serena by the hand and led her to the bathroom. She helped Serena reach the sink and made sure that Serena did a good job before washing her own hands. Serena's appetite, making itself known, caused her to return to the dining room without Reenie.

Sammy having seated himself at the table already saw Serena come in without her valiant defender. He smirked evilly. "Wow, you found your way here?" Sammy said with mock surprise, "Then again you always have a nose for food."

"Huh?" Serena questioned. After that afternoon's incident, she had become wary of her '_big_' brother.

"Well you are just a piglet with big rabbit ears after all. That nose of yours is always stuck into some food. Or those awful 'bunnies'."

"I'm not a pig!" Serena protested. She could feel the tears welling up. "You take that back!"

"Okay," Sammy agreed. Serena blinked. "You're right. You aren't a pig. You're just some overly fat, mud-loving swine!" He started to cackle at his own joke. His sister sniffled. "Aww! Is the '_wittle_' baby gonna cry?" Sammy demanded in a patronizing tone. Serena could feel herself wanting to wail but was desperately fighting the urge. She sniffled again and wiped away a few tears.

"What's the matter, Serena?" her mother asked from behind her.

"Mommy!" Serena called running to her mother, "**Sammy said I was fat and a swine!**"

"Samuel Tsukino," Ellen said exasperatedly, "I want you to stop saying things like that to your sister. Do it again and it's to bed without supper!"

Sammy paled slightly. "Okay... I'm sorry for calling you a swine."

Serena hopped up into her seat and while her mother's back was turned, blew a raspberry at Sammy for good measure. 'I kinda like this!' she thought, 'There are advantages to being younger... Sammy gets the blame and I don't '_being the best_'!'

Just then, Reenie and Serena's father entered the room and also took their seats at the table. Serena couldn't help but smile slightly when she saw that Reenie was going to sit beside her. Her happiness subsided when her stomach grumbled in protest due to a lack of food. Reaching over, she tried to take one of the dishes but couldn't reach it.

'Shoot!' Serena thought, 'How am I going to get that and not look silly... and I'm REALLY hungry too!' Her stomach burbled in agreement.

"Hang on, honey, and I'll get you something. There's plenty here so you won't starve." He then picked up her plate and proceeded to dish up various foods, including the dreaded '_carrots_'. When her plate had a little bit of each, Ken placed Serena's plate back in its original place in front of her.

"I don't think it's enough. I'm REALLY hungry, Daddy," Serena whined while staring with some disbelief at the small portions. 'I'll waste away to nothing if THAT'S all I get. I'm a growing girl.'

Ken smiled at his daughter. "Okay Serena, if you clean your plate first, then I'll get you seconds if you want it." While this conversation was taking place, the others, including Reenie, were passing around the dishes helping themselves to the portions they wanted. "Reenie," Ken said quietly as he saw her pass the carrots on without taking any. She regarded her uncle for a moment before sheepishly, and reluctantly, taking the carrots back and getting a portion. At first, she tried to have a minuscule portion but the look from her aunt and uncle kept her putting tiny amounts onto her plate until they were satisfied that she had a sufficiently disgusting portion of the putrid orange things.

With the family, Serena dug into her food. It tasted great. She knew her mother could cook but this tasted even better than before. Reenie turned to Serena and said, almost reading Serena's thoughts, "This tastes really good. Aunt Ellen did a great job."

"Yeah, Mommy, you did a good job," Serena agreed.

Ken and Sammy also added their own compliments. 'This tastes really great!' Serena thought as she shoveled yet another tasty mouthful into her mouth. But as time passed, Serena felt that she was getting full. 'But the plate's not even empty... even if you don't count those horrible carrots.' It didn't make sense. Yet her tummy was telling her that she was starting to get full.

"Honey," Ken teased noticing his daughter slowing down, "I thought you said you were REALLY hungry..."

"Yes Daddy. I'll finish it," Serena promised and proceeded to eat even more slowly. Soon, that dreaded moment came. There were only the carrots left. Serena set her fork down and looked at her father. "Daddy, can I have some dessert?"

"You still have your carrots, honey," Ken observed. "You finish those, then you can have some dessert." Wrinkling her face up in disgust, Serena started to eat the carrots. As she slowly worked her way through the small pile of evilness, Serena noticed that Reenie wasn't even touching her carrots.

She was about to complain when her mother said, "Reenie dear, you should eat those carrots before they get cold."

'Yeah, I guess I should. They're even worse cold,' Reenie thought glumly. She had caused a minor ruckus the last time she hadn't eaten her carrots. 'Serena was just a LITTLE miffed.' Making a face, a silently suffering Reenie lifted a few pieces of carrot into her mouth and chewed while contorting her face at the vile taste.

After cleaning her plate, Serena was handed a small dish with the evening's dessert in it. She slowly and methodically ate through it and by the end heaved a rather satisfied sigh. 'But I feel so full!' she thought to herself.

Reenie was also finishing up her dessert. Turning to her aunt, Reenie asked, "Aunt Ellen, can Serena and I be excused to go play?"

"Yes you may, Reenie, but I'll expect you both to come down and help with the dishes in a little while."

Giving a nod, Reenie took Serena's hand and led her to Serena's room. Serena was once again amazed. She couldn't fathom why Reenie was being so nice to her. It was just so foreign a thought that she couldn't believe it. As they started their play, Serena found herself coming back to the same question, 'Why is Reenie being so nice to me?' Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Reenie, why are you being so nice to me?" Serena blurted out.

Reenie looked up and stared at Serena in confusion. "Why-Why wouldn't I be?" Reenie finally replied. "You _are_ my little sister. Remember when I said that I always wanted one when I was in Crystal Tokyo?" Serena didn't quite know how to respond to that. "You said you always wanted a _big_ sister..." Reenie trailed off. Serena noticed that the little girls eyes were starting to moisten from the unshed tears. "Serena, did I do something wrong? Don't you want me as your big sister anymore?" Reenie took on a dejected look and sniffled.

"No, I LIKE you as a big sister. I just was wonderin', that's all." Serena gave Reenie a smile hoping that it would belay the fears that THIS Reenie was showing. Reenie gave a smile and, reaching over, hugged Serena. 'I could get used to this...' Serena thought as she smiled at Reenie and hugged her back. After a moment, they returned to playing but all too soon, Ellen called them down to help with the dishes. Serena at least enjoyed this part... mainly because she didn't have to wash as she usually did. She and Reenie were given the task of drying the dishes while her mother washed them. After the dishes were dry and put away, the girls were allowed to return to their play.

After a little bit, Ellen entered the room. "It's time for your bath, girls."

"'Kay, Aunt Ellen," Reenie said while reaching for Serena's hand.

"Reenie! What are you doing?" Serena squeaked pulling her hand away from Reenie.

"Aunt Ellen said it was time to take our bath," Reenie stated and reached out again, this time, grabbing Serena's hand. 'She's acting strange today.' Serena was about to protest but her mother, seeming like some towering giant, was staring at her with a slightly puzzled expression on her face. Figuring things couldn't get much worse, Serena complied and allowed her cousin to take the lead. They walked hand-in-hand out of the room and down the hall into the bathroom with Ellen following right behind them.

While Ellen started the water running, Reenie reached over and started to undress Serena. '**Oh no!**' Serena worried, '**I can't have Reenie undressing me!**' She was about to protest again but she noticed that her mother was watching her from above. 'I know Mom can be imposing sometimes but WOW!' Just the presence of that _very_ big and imposing person was having the effect of making Serena _want_ to behave. 'Well, I guess this is a normal thing for me. I had to help Reenie a couple of times in the normal reality so...' Soon, the task was done and Serena stood naked and shivering slightly as Reenie undressed herself.

"Okay Serena, let's '_bunny_' hop into the stall," Reenie suggested taking Serena's hand.

Serena gave a tentative nod and both little girls hopped into the washing stall beside the furo. Ellen just smiled as she watched.

"Reenie, I don't want you hopping into the furo like the last time," her aunt warned. 'We had water all over the place!'

"Okay," Reenie chirped. Once Ellen thought that they were settled, she left the room. After only a few minutes, both girls were relaxing in the warming waters of the Tsukino furo. Serena looked around and noticed that her mother had laid out two sets of bunny-covered underwear, along with two sets of bunny pajamas and two towels.

Serena for her part was having a blast. The furo's relative size was almost like a swimming pool to her now. Reenie seemed more interested in simply enjoying the warmth rather than playing so it wasn't as much fun as she would have liked but it was still great. Soon though, Reenie said, "Okay, we're both clean. Time to get out and into our PJs." Serena didn't really want to get out of the furo; she was having too much fun. "Serena," Reenie said sternly when she saw the look of reluctance, "We have to get out now." She then took Serena's hand.

Serena complied but wasn't happy about it. Reenie retrieved a towel and started to dry Serena off. After making sure that Serena was dry, Reenie dried herself off. Then she helped Serena first into the underwear and then the pajamas. Serena flushed with embarrassment. Reenie then proceeded to get dressed herself. Just as she was finishing up Ellen walked into the room.

"Reenie, you did a really good job taking your bath and helping Serena," Ellen complimented. The girl smiled in pride and Serena felt happy for her "_sister_". "Okay, girls, you can go play quietly until bedtime."

Reenie beamed happily and once again guided her charge back into Serena's room. 'They're treating me as if I wouldn't know where to go,' Serena thought as they started another quiet game, 'Or like I'm a baby.' But she found herself slowly grinning, 'Who cares? I haven't had this much fun since I was a kid... Being treated like a baby a few times isn't all that bad. Certainly worth it to be able to play like this and have Reenie as a big sister.' Serena stopped for a moment to look at Reenie who was also smiling.

As the time passed, Serena found herself starting to doze. 'I'm tired.' She yawned, 'But it's still early.' Giving another yawn, she felt her eyelids starting to sag shut when her mother came in.

"Okay, girls, eight o'clock. Time for bed."

Serena was about to protest this injustice when her brain told her that she was really tired. Reenie helped by saying, "We should go to bed, Serena. We have school tomorrow... You wouldn't want to fall asleep in class."

'It wouldn't be the first time,' Serena thought, 'Oh boy... another '_wonderful_' day with Miss H.' Before she could utter any verbal arguments, Reenie had once again taken her hand and helped her up. Walking over to the bed, both girls crawled in. 'The bed is huge now!' Ellen walked over and tucked the covers around them. She gave each girl a hug and kiss before bidding them good night. She walked to the door turned off the lights and left before shutting the door.

Serena was just starting to drift off into sleep when Reenie mused, "I really wish I can have a little sister like you someday." She could feel a lump starting to form in her throat. 'I miss Mommy. She would really like Serena.' "Mommy..." Reenie sniffled, "Mommy's in real trouble. I-I need to find the Silver Crystal to save her." Even in the light provided by the street lights and the small nightlight, Serena could see the small stream of tears that was starting to flow out of Reenie's eyes.

"Don't worry, Reenie," Serena said trying to reassure the older girl, "Your Mommy will be okay, and I will be YOUR little sister!" Reenie gave Serena a small sad smile. Reaching over, Serena hugged Reenie while thinking, 'Poor little... er... big thing.' Serena fought the urge to giggle; it wouldn't be very nice. 'So _that's_ the reason she's here.' Serena felt the girl hugging her and grimaced internally. 'Why did I treat her so rotten before? She really needs me!' Letting go of the hug and settling back into bed, Serena said, "Goodnight, Reenie."

"Goodnight, Serena," Reenie replied.

That was the last conscious thought of either girl before each drifted off into sleep.

# # # # #

**Part 5 "But I Don't Want to go to School..."**

**O**n Monday, the morning sunlight slowly crept into the Aino home. It tracked over the carpet of Mina's bedroom before slowly rising up the side of the little girl's bed. As the morning light gradually filled the room, two sleeping forms became readily apparent. One was Mina who was snuggled in the bed holding onto one of her favorite stuffed animals. The other curled up near Mina's head was a white ball of fur by the name of Artemis.

After a little while, Mina's mother entered the room and gently called, "Mina." Mina wiggled a little but didn't open her eyes, "Mina, time to get up, honey." The little blonde opened her eyes and blinked to clear the sleep from them. "Good morning, did you have a good sleep?" her mother asked.

Mina nodded and sat up while stretching. Getting out of bed, she headed to the bathroom and was about to close the door behind her when her mother entered. Mina frowned for a moment. 'What?' she thought to herself, 'Why's Mom coming in here with...' Her thoughts trailed off as she suddenly realized that she was still five.

"Let's get your teeth brushed, Mina," her mother said pulling out a stool for her daughter to stand on so Mina could reach the wash basin. After putting some toothpaste on a toothbrush, she handed it to Mina. "Now brush your teeth."

Mina grumbled slightly but accepted the toothbrush and started to brush her teeth. After making a thorough job of it, she turned to her mother who inspected her handiwork and gave Mina a pat on her head.

"Very good, dear. Okay, when you're done using the toilet, come back into your room and I'll help you get dressed." Turning, Mina's mother left the room. She stared after her mother for a moment with a dubious expression on her face.

# # # # #

When Mina came back into her bedroom a few minutes later, she saw that her mother had laid out a school uniform for her. 'But that's not the right one,' Mina thought walking over and inspecting the strange uniform. It was a kindergartner's uniform but this one had a unique feature on it. Sewn onto the uniform was a patch of Sailor Venus! Mina blinked as she read the small printing near the bottom of the patch, "Sailor Venus of the Chibi-Scouts!" ''_Chibi-Scouts_'? It sorta looks like me but it must be a mistake,' Mina decided. She was dragged back to reality when her mother started tugging at her pajama top. 'Mom! This is so embarrassing.'

Soon, she was dressed in her uniform and hustled downstairs to have breakfast. After finishing her meal, Mina was sitting at the table. She wasn't sure what to do next but she knew what she DIDN'T want to do. Taking the chance when her mother left the room, she turned to Artemis who was working on a small bowl of cream and announced, "I don't wanna go to school."

Artemis blinked. "Why not?" he asked softly.

"I don't have any friends at school, and none of the Scouts go to my school." Mina squirmed a little. "I guess I just don't wanna be alone; the kids will pick on me." 'I'm so little now, it'll be easy for them.'

The kitten was about to respond when Mina's mother came into the room and glanced around. "Dear, who were you talking to?"

"Just Artemis, Mommy," Mina quipped before she could stop herself. 'Way to go! That was certainly a '_Serena_' move...'

"Oh, and did Artemis give you any good advice?" Mrs. Aino asked. 'At least, it isn't imaginary like the last one.' "Oh look at the time! Come on, Mina. We'll get you cleaned up so you won't be late and miss your bus."

About fifteen minutes later, Mina's mother led her young daughter out to the bus stop near their house and waited with her for the school bus to arrive. Mina just stood and fidgeted holding the hand of her mother. This was not her ideal plan for today. After the bus had stopped and opened its door, Mina climbed aboard. Her mother waved good-bye to her and smiled. Mina felt reassured somehow seeing her mother wave. She returned the wave and proceeded to look around the crowded bus for an empty seat.

A little girl waved to Mina and motioned her to come over. Mina moved towards the seat. As she got a better look at the little girl, Mina recognized her. 'Carrie?' Carrie was one of the youngsters that Mina had saved from a Cardian earlier that year. Carrie was wearing a similar school uniform to Mina's except that instead of a patch of Sailor Venus, it had a patch of Sailor Moon. 'I remember she had never even heard of Sailor Venus... Then I went and told her that I _knew_ Sailor Moon.'

Carrie idolized the Chibi-Scouts, almost every little kid in Tokyo did. The media had dubbed these "_mythical_" sailor-suited superhero children, the Chibi-Scouts, even though, officially, they were the Sailor Scouts. Teens and adults preferred, in public at least, to believe they didn't exist. However, for children, not to idolize them was rather hazardous. This was especially true for these particular children who had witnessed, firsthand, two of the Chibi-Scouts, Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus, fighting to save them.

'In our normal reality, Carrie looked up to me because I knew Sailor Moon. I even helped her out of some jams.' Mina had kept in touch with the little girl after the Cardian attack but it has been at least two months since she'd last seen her. 'She's still a _cute little rugrat_,' Mina thought to herself.

"Mina, sit down so we can leave!" a little boy called down the aisle.

"**Mina, over here! I saved you a seat!**" Carrie called. Flushing, Mina hurried down the aisle to where Carrie was sitting and settled herself into the seat next to her.

"Hi Carrie," Mina said cheerfully, "Thanks for saving me the seat." Upon closer inspection, Mina realized something. Carrie was the same height as her now. The bus started to move off in the direction of the school. As the time passed, Mina's fears about not having a friend at school lessened as she came to realize that Carrie was one of her closest friends and even better was in the same class as her! Mina smiled internally, 'I guess we're _both_ cute little rugrats.' She wouldn't be alone this time.

# # # # #

The Aino household was not the only one to fill with the morning sun that Monday morning. As the time passed, the sunlight slowly filled the Tsukino home. The first person up was Serena's mother. This wasn't very unusual. After allowing herself a little time for peace and quiet, Ellen made her way up the stairs and into Serena's bedroom. Serena and Reenie were sleeping peacefully while the black kitten, Luna, dozed at the foot of the bed.

Walking over to the bed, Ellen called gently, "Girls, time to get up."

Reenie was the first person to stir. After a few vague noises, Reenie slowly opened her eyes and sat up. After rubbing the sleep from her large red eyes, she looked around, and smiled at her aunt. Looking over, she gave Serena a nudge. "Come on, sleepyhead, time to get up."

Serena's eyes popped open and she sat up. She then noticed that Reenie was still huge. 'I was hoping it was all a dream... I guess I should get up.' "Good morning, Reenie. Good morning, Mommy," Serena greeted with some energy that surprised her.

"Girls, come down for breakfast," Ellen said before leaving the room.

After Serena and Reenie both used the bathroom, they headed downstairs with Luna softly padding behind them. 'These stairs look so big!' Luna thought to herself as she reached the top of the steps. Bracing herself for what might be a painful experience, Luna headed down the steps. 'Well, they must have had them in the Palace when I was little.'

As the girls entered the kitchen, Serena noticed exactly what time it was. 'WOW!' Serena thought, 'I won't be late today... I have lots of time and I'm not even sleepy like I usually am this time of the morning. In fact, I feel great.' Taking her seat at the table, she waited expectantly as her mother turned to retrieve the breakfast. Sammy sat silently at the table but shot dark looks Serena's way.

Mrs. Tsukino slid one pancake onto Serena's plate before giving Reenie and Sammy each two pancakes. Serena opened her mouth to protest this particular injustice when she remembered something. 'I JUST managed to eat all my supper last night and I was full so I'll probably get full on that pancake. It still doesn't look like enough though.'

"Serena?" Ellen asked. She had seen her daughter open her mouth as if to say something but then just sat there, mouth agape.

"Yes Mommy?" Serena asked coming out of her thoughts.

"Serena, did you want something?"

"Could I have some milk, please Mommy?" Serena, thinking quickly, asked. Her mother smiled and nodded before going to get the milk.

Serena was about to say more when Reenie stated, "Pancakes are my most favorite breakfast." 'I could eat them everyday.'

# # # # #

After breakfast, Ellen announced, "Girls, you go brush your teeth and I'll get your uniforms ready."

"'Kay Mommy," Serena squeaked and hopped off the chair. Sammy looked like he wanted to say something to Serena but just glared.

Serena had been planning on getting to the bathroom without Reenie leading her but Reenie was quick and snagged her hand. Serena muttered darkly but kept it quiet enough so that her mother wouldn't hear. However, her mumbles stopped when Reenie helped her with the difficult task, at least to a five year old, of brushing her teeth without making a mess. She carefully showed her what to do.

After both girls had brushed their teeth, they went to get dressed. Serena noticed two school uniforms. One Serena recognized as Reenie's regular Harbor Elementary School uniform but as she examined the other one, she realized something. '**I'm in kindergarten?**' Serena realized as she looked more closely at the uniform. The only real difference that Serena could see was a white bunny patch sewn onto the uniform and the addition of a blue beret. After Reenie helped her into it, she was about to head downstairs when her mother stopped her and gave her a puzzled look.

"What?" Serena asked. 'Did I do something wrong?'

"What about your broach, dear?" Ellen questioned. "Every day since you found that thing, it's _had_ to be on your uniform." She stifled a sigh. 'That thing has caused me a few headaches! I wonder what's so special about it?'

"Oh um... yeah. I just forgot. Thanks Mommy," Serena said hoping that her excuse would work. It seemed to have the desired effect because her mother simply retrieved the broach and pinned it on the uniform.

Luna who had been watching this shook her head, 'Some things never change.'

# # # # #

The next step in the process of getting ready for school was doing the girls' hair. Reenie's '_bunny ear_' odangos were put up first before it was Serena's turn. As Serena's mother worked, she realized that her odangos were far smaller than normal and the minuscule portion of hair that once represented streamer-like golden pigtails was nothing more than a set of pigtails that only hung to just above her shoulder.

"You know, Serena, that girl who brought you home yesterday had dumplings and pigtails like you but a lot longer. She was very pretty. I bet when you grow up, you'll look like her."

Ellen paused in her work for a moment to consider it before saying, "Reenie's right. You'll probably grow up to look like that nice young lady. Now I want you to thank her for bringing you all safely home."

"Yes Mommy," Serena giggled out. 'I have to thank myself... Well at least, it's for something good.'

After finishing getting ready for school, the girls, along with Ellen, headed downstairs. After putting on their shoes Reenie took Serena's hand and headed out the door while calling, "Bye, Aunt Ellen."

"Bye Mommy," Serena called while waving to her mother.

"Good-bye girls. Have fun at school!"

As soon as they were out of sight of the house, Reenie let Serena's hand drop but she reminded her "_little sister_" not to wander off. As they walked, Serena found herself enjoying how easily she could talk to Reenie. Soon though, it was time to go their separate ways. About two blocks from the house, Serena turned and headed on her familiar route towards Crossroads Junior High School.

"Serena!" Reenie called as she noticed that the little girl was pulling away from her, "Serena, where are you going?"

Serena stopped and looked at Reenie in confusion for a moment before saying, "I'm going to school, Reenie."

"School's this way," Reenie stated indicating the direction in which she was walking.

"But," Serena crinkled up her face, "But Crossroads is that way." While saying this, she pointed in the direction that she had started to go.

"Silly," Reenie giggled while coming over and taking Serena's hand, "We go to Harbor. And, anyway, Crossroads is a JUNIOR HIGH."

Serena was about to argue with Reenie when her brain caught onto what was wrong, 'I'm five! Well... At least five to everybody. I wouldn't be able to get in and they'd likely want to know what I was doing there.' Serena gave a little smirk. 'But to have seen Miss H's face when I walked into class would've been priceless!' "Sorry Reenie. I was pretending to go to Crossroads. I forgot."

"That's okay. I like to pretend I'm big too sometimes too," Reenie mused. She retrieved Serena's hand and the pair headed towards the elementary school. After a few more minutes, they reached the entrance of Harbor Elementary School. Reenie took Serena over to the kindergarten area. "Now you be good, Little Sister, and I'll see you after school."

"Bye, Big Sister," Serena giggled out. Then Reenie walked on to her own class.

At first, Serena wasn't exactly sure where to go until she noticed Amy and Lita. They had just appeared around the corner of the entranceway. Waving to them, Serena waited for her friends, feeling slightly better that some things hadn't changed much. At least Amy and Lita went to the same school as she did.

As the trio met, they looked at each other for several seconds before they started to giggle. 'We never knew each other in kindergarten,' Serena thought, 'It seems strange to see Amy and Lita in the same uniform... **Especially Lita!** They both look so cute.' She loved their cute berets.

"Yeah, I know," Lita giggled as she noticed Serena staring at her uniform, "My uniform actually fits me now."

Both Amy and Serena lregarded Lita for a second before breaking out into a new fit of giggles. "Well we never knew each other when we were little," Serena commented. 'I always wished we had and now...'

"Yes, it does appear peculiar," Amy admitted.

"Do either of you know where we're supposed to go?" Serena asked starting to look around the school. She remembered going to this school a couple of years before and walking Reenie here a few times. But now, it seemed huge; the roof seemed to vanish into the sky.

"No, but I'll go ask that teacher over there," Amy offered and walked over to where a young teacher was standing watching the schoolyard. "Excuse me, Miss," Amy chirped, "Do you know what class Lita, Serena, and I are in?"

"Sure Amy," the teacher replied looking puzzled. "Don't you remember? You're all in my class, Room Number Two. It's right over there," she said while indicating the classroom.

"Thank you," Amy responded. She headed back towards the girls as she approached, she managed to catch the ending part of something Lita was saying.

"...So me and Amy are sisters."

"Wicked cool!" Serena beamed, "I knew you two were great friends and now you can be great sisters too!"

Amy smiled at her sister before turning to Serena and asking, "So what's with Reenie? She was acting especially nice towards you yesterday."

"From what I can figure out we're the best of friends." Serena shrugged and, flushing a bit, added, "I'm also... sorta... like a little sister to her."

"Aww! That's so cute," Lita giggled.

"Yeah," Serena admitted, "Reenie's also telling me things that the other Reenie wouldn't." Seeing her friends' questioning looks, Serena continued, "She told me that she needs the Silver Crystal to save her mother who's in trouble in Crystal Tokyo."

"Crystal Tokyo? Crystal Tokyo is the same place that the Droid you destroyed in the cosmetic shop mentioned, right?" Amy questioned.

"Right," Serena agreed.

"Well, I guess that they're related then," Lita suggested.

"Right, Sis," Amy agreed while winking.

# # # # #

While the girls were having this conversation, the school bus had driven up to the entrance of the elementary school and was letting its students off. Mina and Carrie got off the bus and skipped towards the kindergarten area. After they entered, they noticed Amy, Lita, and Serena. Both Carrie and Mina wandered over.

"Hi-ee!" Mina and Carrie chirped energetically in unison.

"Hi," the others responded. Serena for her part only had a vague memory of who this little girl was. It was apparent from the expression on Amy and Lita's faces that neither of them had the slightest idea who this girl with Mina was.

"Artemis chewed on one of my doll's head," Mina suddenly blurted out. "I don't suppose you know a bad home that wants a really bad kitty, Carrie?"

Carrie snickered before saying, "I told you, Mina, to put them up where Artemis couldn't get them. It isn't his fault that you left the dolls where Artemis could get them." She smiled sweetly as Mina glared at her friend.

'Well at least, we have her name,' Amy thought. The conversation continued on, mainly between Mina and Carrie. Mina was berating Artemis for murdering one of her dolls while Carrie kept defending the poor kitten. The other girls let this conversation continue uninterrupted. The only thing they knew about Carrie was her name. Carrie, on the other hand, seemed to know all about them. After a few more minutes, the school bell rang calling them into class. Carrie dragging Mina's arm started to pull her friend towards Room One while saying, "Come on..."

Before heading off to their own class, Amy grabbed Lita and Serena's arm and said, "Remember don't show off in class... We're supposed to be five."

"'Kay," Lita and Serena answered while nodding.

With that, Amy let go of their arms and all three headed for their own classroom. After settling the class down at their seats, the teacher went through the attendance sheet. "Anderson, Amy."

"Here."

"Anderson, Lita."

Amy glanced over to Lita who just sat there silently. Smiling slightly Amy reached over and gave her sister a slight nudge.

"Oh yeah... here."

'Kami, please tell me Lita isn't going to turn into another Serena. That's all I need another inattentive student on my hands.' Giving a little shake of her head, the teacher continued calling the roll. As the rest of the roll was being called, Amy glanced around the classroom. On one wall, there was a poster-sized piece of paper that had the names of all the students in the class written in large print. Every name had colored stick-on stars beside it. Glancing first at her own name, Amy noticed that she had the most stars and by a large margin at that. Serena was close to having the least while Lita's name only had a few more than Serena's.

'Some things never change,' Amy thought, 'How on earth did Serena ever pass kindergarten? And I must not have helped Lita at all.'

When the roll was completed, the teacher started the day's lessons. First on the lesson plan was simple letter and number recognition. After a couple of other students, it was Serena's turn.

'Serena had trouble with this one before...' "Serena," the teacher asked holding up a flashcard, "What's this letter?"

'Okay, do I flop this?' Serena thought, 'No, that would make me look like an idiot. I have enough problems with Raye.' She noted that the class was expectantly watching her, 'That gives me the creeps!' Taking a breath, Serena squeaked, "U?"

"Correct." Serena smiled.

'Amy's next. I've got to give her something a bit harder...' The teacher held up a flashcard with a three letter word. "Okay Amy, what letters are these and what do they spell?"

Amy blinked, ''_Cat_'?' "C, A, T, spells cat."

"Correct." At this declaration, some grumbling emanated from some of the students. It was just like that smarty-pants Amy Anderson to show up the rest of them. Lita's question was similar to Serena's. As the lessons progressed, the questions started to get tougher. Amy breezed through hers with an ease that put more than one nose out of joint. Even with feigning trouble, Amy had to give it up after the second question because the teacher kept giving her odd looks. It was Serena who was really putting on a show. By the time the lesson was over, the class was staring with some disbelief at Serena. No one had time to comment as the other lessons were started. In every instance, the three girls managed to ace every lesson.

"Well, it's almost recess," the teacher announced, "For the morning session, Serena, Lita, and Amy get stars." There wasn't the usual cheering or, in the case of Amy, quiet booing. The class was all staring at Serena.

As the teacher was placing the stars besides the girls' names, a little girl leaned over and asked, "Serena? Did your mommy get mad at you? You haven't gotten a star in a long time."

Serena smiled. She was feeling great about having managed to pass her lessons without error. 'This is great! Wait till Mom hears!'

# # # # #

Mina was riding high; she was also doing quite well. She could tell that Carrie was impressed and, indeed, her best friend was impressed. She was amazed at how much smarter Mina seemed to be today than even the day before. Mina's class was orderly yet noisily filing out of the classroom for recess. The day was turning out to be nice. There was a breeze but it only had a slight nip to it. The sun shown down brightly, highlighting the colors of spring.

Once outside and free from the line of students, Carrie turned to Mina and declared, "Okay Sailor Venus... It's time!"

Mina, to say the least, was startled. 'Sailor Venus?' her mind raced, 'Does Carrie know who I really am?' Trying to suppress the sense of fear that had started building within her, Mina said, "What do you mean '_Sailor Venus_', Carrie?"

"Don't call me Carrie," Carrie responded. "I am Sailor Moon... **MOON POWER!**" With that yell, Carrie set off at a brisk jog towards a group of other children.

'It's a game!' Mina finally realized what was going on. After shouting, "**VENUS POWER!**" She ran after her friend. Once there, she was introduced to three other little girls claiming to be Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Mars. Mina had to suppress a giggle at the sight of a rather timid-looking girl claiming to be the fiery Mars. There were other kids present but they seemed to be extras or on the fringe of the group. Mina could understand some of their longing looks; she had had those herself.

"Okay Sailor Venus," Carrie/Sailor Moon said, "Who are we gonna save today?"

# # # # #

About ten minutes after Mina's class was let out for recess, Serena's class was also let out. As Amy, Lita, and Serena exited out of the building, they heard Mina's voice shouting, "**VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!**" All three girls looked at each other in terror, their thoughts obvious, i.e. a Droid was attacking their school, and Mina's transformed.

Even before the trio could start working out a plan to slip away and transform themselves, they heard another voice shout, "I'll get you evil Droid! In the name of Jupiter... **JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!**"

"What?" Lita demanded. The three girls looked around and noticed a civilian dressed Mina leading a group of pretend Sailor Scouts. Their suspicions that it was a game was confirmed when Carrie called Mina, "Sailor Venus."

"Mina's flipped!" Serena whispered.

"You can say that again," Lita agreed. Even Amy was nodding her head in agreement.

The three moved off to lean against a wall and watch the game. No matter how hard they tried, none of them could figure out what Mina was up to. Two things became very apparent. One, Mina had given them expert instruction, i.e. the girls being the Scouts were acting fairly close to the actual Scout... Well almost, the timid Mars was trying her best to be fiery but it wasn't working out very well.

The second thing that became obvious was that Mina was using one of their real Droid battles as a plot for her current adventure. However, this didn't sit very well with Serena. The ribbon-wearing blonde was embellishing it to make Sailor Venus appear more heroic than was actually realistic.

"That ain't how it happened!" Serena squawked in protest as Sailor Venus destroyed the Droid.

"Shhh..." Amy hissed, "You aren't supposed to know that."

"You just wait, Mina!" Serena growled and spent the few minutes that the game continued glaring darkly at Mina. Just as "_Sailor Venus_" was posing heroically for what were apparently media people, her teacher called their class back in. With reluctance, they went back to class. Mina waved but Serena pointedly ignored her.

"Amy, have you figured out a way for us to get back to normal?" Serena asked once the schoolyard was quieter.

"No, I really haven't had a chance to even start. My mom's been with me almost all the time." 'It's also hard to concentrate for some reason.'

"OUR mom, right Sis?" Lita queried and sent Amy a wink.

"Right Sis," Amy agreed.

After a few more minutes, in which Lita and Amy had to listen to Serena's grumbling, their own teacher called them back to class. With some reluctance, the students headed back into class. The rest of the morning passed quickly enough. At 12:15, the class ended and the teacher announced, "I hope you had a fun day and I'll see you all in class tomorrow." Walking over to Serena, she leaned down and said, "Serena, you were very good today. Keep it up."

"'Kay," Serena replied and smiled. 'Why's school done already? Oh well, I'm not going to complain.' Walking out with Amy and Lita, Serena stopped once outside and asked, "Where are you supposed to go now? Doesn't your mom work at the hospital today?"

"Yes but before we left, Mom said she'd see us tonight at your house. I concluded that Lita and I must be baby-sat by your mom until OUR mom gets off of work, right Sis?"

"Right Sis," Lita squeaked.

"Wicked Cool!" Serena declared gleefully. She'd have some protection from that spore Sammy.

Just then, Mina's class was also released for the day. As the students filed out of school, Mina followed Carrie to the bus.

"Mina, aren't you going to Mrs. Tsukino's house like you always do?" Carrie wondered.

"Oh yeah!" Mina said surprised, "I uh... just wanted to say good-bye. We sure had fun today, Sailor Moon."

Carrie smiled. "See you tomorrow, Sailor Venus." She then flashed Mina the V-for-victory sign while getting on the bus.

# # # # #

Looking around, Mina spotted Lita, Amy, and Serena so she skipped over to them. Serena at first glared at her. "What's the matter, Serena? I'm supposed to go to your house."

"Great!" Serena declared happily, her glare replaced with a grin. With that, all four girls set out for the Tsukino home and, after only about ten minutes, they arrived safely there.

"I'm glad to see you home, girls. How was school?"

"I got two stars today, Mommy," Serena stated proudly. She ignored Mina and Lita's giggles.

"Serena," Mrs. Tsukino replied while hugging her daughter, "I'm very proud of you. I think Reenie will be proud of you, too, when she gets home and hears how well you did in school, and so will Daddy." Serena beamed. Letting go of the hug of her daughter, Ellen straightened and said, "Okay girls, into your play clothes first. We don't want to get your uniforms dirty." Without giving the girls time even to question her, the woman hustled the girls up the stairs and into Serena's room where four outfits were laid out.

"Mommy, where's Raye?" Serena asked.

"Honey, you know that Raye doesn't come here after school. She goes home," Ellen said. She then proceeded to help the girls change. Amy didn't need any help; neither did Lita except for a couple of buttons. Mina and Serena only needed a little more help, mainly balancing but soon enough the girls were dressed.

After washing their hands, Ellen led them downstairs to have a light lunch of sandwiches and milk. Mina had started to try and find out why Serena had been glaring at her but it was soon forgotten as the girls ate and talked.

After lunch, Ellen led them into the living room where four small futons were laid. "Okay girls, let's get you settled. It's time for your naps."

"What?" Serena protested.

"Don't argue, young lady. It's nap time," Ellen stated firmly.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'm tired."

Lita giggled. "Yeah, I know why, SAILOR VENUS."

"Strangely enough, I could utilize a short nap myself." This comment drew a strange look from Ellen. 'Shoot, I keep forgetting to simplify things!' Without further protest, the girls laid down and soon were fast asleep.

# # # # #

**Part 6 "Chad's Day in the Spotlight"**

**R**eenie sighed silently. She was supposed to be listening attentively to her teacher but her mind kept wandering. Usually, she could pay attention but not today. Today she had other worries. 'Serena's acting really weird,' Reenie worried, 'I mean she asked me why I was treating her so nicely... Why wouldn't I treat her nicely? She's my little sister and I love her.' Her brow furrowed subconsciously. 'I like to pretend that I'm big but Serena took it a little far today. I thought she liked that we both go to the same school. Why would she want to go to a different school? And a junior high one at that!'

"Reenie!" the teacher's voice brought her abruptly back to reality.

"Huh?" Reenie looked around and started to blush as the class giggled. She realized she'd let her mind wander again and her teacher was looking at her with an exasperated expression on her face.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, Ma'am," Reenie answered sheepishly. 'How could I explain being worried about Serena? She wouldn't understand.'

"Then please pay attention. If you do need to daydream, at least stop making faces. It's rather distracting."

Guilty, nodding, Reenie sat up straighter at her desk. She managed to concentrate for a short time before her worries pushed any thought of school aside once again. As the time passed, she found herself glancing at the clock. After a torturous hour, it finally showed that it was time to go. She hurriedly packed up, dashed out of the school, and headed for the Tsukino home. Then something occurred to her.

'Darien!' Reenie suddenly realized, 'Serena's acting weird because of Darien! Why didn't I think of it sooner?' A little relieved that she had managed to figure out what had been bothering Serena, Reenie quickly made her way towards Darien's apartment.

# # # # #

Darien tossed and turned as he slept. It was the same nightmare. The one that had haunted him every time he tried to sleep. A voice demanded that he stay away from Serena or something terrible would happen to her. He was never able to stop it or fight back. It would run completely through chilling him to the bone.

It was always the same at the end; Darien awoke with a start and sat up, sweating. Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, he cupped his face in his hands for a moment to try and get some calmness.

'I remember in the Moon Kingdom you were so beautiful, My Princess. You were a beautiful young woman, an adult just a little younger than me,' Darien thought, 'Then the Negaverse attacked. I unknowingly searched for you in this new lifetime. I hoped to find you a little younger or the same age in this time. We could still have married without much wait. But now... What happened? Why did the Imperium Silver Crystal reincarnate you and the other Sailor Scouts as children while leaving me an adult?' This had bothered Darien for some time. He took it in stride and had become a second father to little Serena. And when Reenie arrived, she was like another daughter.

Despite his mood, Darien smiled. The three of them had some good times. That is until the nightmares forced him away. Darien sighed pushing himself off the bed and getting dressed. 'At first, you were just some whiny bratty kid... Something always drew me to you, to protect you. Then once I regained my memories again... But now, even though I know you are Sailor Moon and the Moon Princess I knew and loved so long ago, I don't think you would understand. Even if you weren't so young, how could I tell you the truth?' After a few more moments, Darien heard a knock at the door.

"Reenie!" Darien called after opening the door and finding the little girl standing there. He was happy to see her and it helped even more that Serena wasn't with her.

"Darien!" Reenie called. Bounding into his arms, she hugged Darien's neck. Darien hugged her back and shut the door. Carrying her over to the sofa, he set her down before sitting down himself.

"So what's up?"

"Something's wrong with Serena," Reenie said letting her worry show through.

"What's wrong?" Darien asked, feeling a slight buildup of worry himself. 'Is she hurt?'

"Serena's acting strange. I think it's because of you."

"I can't see her, Reenie," Darien stated flatly losing his worried tone. He set his face into a stern expression. 'Please don't ask why? It hurts too much...'

"But Darien... What did Serena do? The three of us used to have lotsa fun together. We went to the park and the zoo. Then you stopped coming over." Reenie's worried expression deepened as she almost whispered out, "Darien, did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me? I'll stay away so you can see Serena."

"Reenie..." Darien started, his voice had lost its edge when he continued, "No, you wouldn't understand."

"But Serena's MY little sister. I don't like to see her sad."

"I don't like to see her sad either," Darien admitted, "But I can't see Serena, Reenie. I'm sorry."

'Serena's going to need me,' Reenie thought. "I should go..." She could feel a lump starting to form in her throat. 'I can't cry in front of Darien... I need to be brave so I can help Serena.'

Walking her over to the door, Darien said, "Yeah... Okay Reenie, see ya later." 'Won't you stay, please?'

"Good-bye, Darien," Reenie called before sprinting down the hall.

"Good-bye," Darien called after her before closing the door. 'I'm so sorry, Serena,' he thought as a single tear slid down his cheek.

# # # # #

Raye was not a happy camper. In fact as she lay on her bed after supper, head buried under a pillow to block out Chad's singing, her mood darkened. 'Grandpa's gone insane!' Raye thought, 'Not to mention that pervert Chad!' The night before Raye had been put to bed promptly at seven. Her grandfather wouldn't hear any protests about it. 'I hate being in a five year old body!'

Tossing the pillow aside, Raye Hino got up and wandered over to her closet and started looking through her clothes. 'Well at least I have _some_ clothes that look good,' she thought while wincing at the continued "_noise_" eminating from Chad's room. "Why's my room next to his anyway?" the little priestess mumbled to herself while rooting through her dresser. Most of her clothes were red with the occasional odd color tossed in. However, looking at the clothes brought back more memories of events earlier that day.

'That pervert Chad!' Raye had not been pleased that morning when he had come in, woke her up, and started to help her into her school uniform. 'The only thing that saved him was I was too sleepy...' She walked back over to her bed and flopped down. 'At least he made me my meals.' Although his cooking was not as fancy as Lita's, Chad was a passable cook.

'Why won't they let me into the Great Fire Room without one of THEM around?' That was another annoyance she had found out. After coming home from school, Raye had wanted to do a fire reading. However, Grandpa Hino, upon finding her alone next to the Great Fire, had scolded Raye and told her she shouldn't play in that room especially by herself. 'He thought I was playing? He's gone senile!' Under severe protest from Raye, her grandfather had managed to get her out of the room before closing and locking the doors.

Rolling over on to her stomach, Raye reached under her bed. 'Maybe a comic can get me to relax.' She reached down to where she usually kept them but her hand hit nothing but air. Frowning slightly, she slid forward to reach further under her bed but again she came up empty handed.

'Where are they?' she wondered, 'This is all I need...' Getting off her bed, Raye squatted down and looked. "What?" she screeched with some surprise as she noticed that her nice orderly pile of comic books was gone. "Where are they? I bet that meatball head stole them!" She could feel the anger starting to well up within her. Going over to her closet, she started digging through it throwing toys and other objects aside in her search. "Maybe I hid them again and just forgot... Serena might like to read them but she's no thief."

Breathing hard and flushed with anger, Raye stomped around her room looking for her comic books. "**WHERE ARE THEY?**" she finally yelled after several frustrating minutes of searching.

"Where's what, Raye?" Then Chad glanced around her room. "And what did you do to your room?"

Spinning around, Raye saw Chad standing in the doorway. Suddenly for some strange reason her anger lessened. "My comics. I can't find them."

A puzzled look came across the young acolyte's face. "But Raye, you don't have any comic books." 'Dolls yes, but comic books?'

"What?" Raye demanded, "**Who took them?**"

'Man, she's really acting weird. Like this morning. Well she is growing up. Where did she learn some of those words?'

Chad had at first detested the responsibility that Raye's grandfather had forced upon him. He had wanted to come to the Cherry Hill Temple to train as an acolyte, to find some peace in his life, and to get inspiration for his music, not to look after a troubled four year old girl. Grandpa Hino insisted it would give Chad the discipline he needed in his life. But as time passed, he had grown to feel like Raye's father or more precisely her '_big brother_'. He was careful to keep the distinction around Raye. Big brothers don't abandon you, fathers do. At least in Raye's opinion that's how it went.

He was genuinely fond of the little girl. He discovered that Raye's real father had practically abandoned Raye at her grandfather's temple to pursue his political career after her mother died. Grandpa Hino took care of little Raye for about a year before Chad arrived. However, now Chad looked after Raye most of the time along with his other duties while her grandfather ran the temple.

"Chill out, Raye, no one took them. Maybe when you get into first grade, we'll see if we can get you a couple. Okay?"

Raye's brain decided that her emotions were getting out of hand. 'I won't be around long enough to get into first grade. Amy, you better have a fix soon! I don't know if I can stand this much longer!' Raye seethed. "Okay Chad," Raye squeaked.

"Now let's get this place cleaned up." Nodding, Raye started to pick up the clothes and toys tossed about the room. She could feel herself blushing, 'I threw a temper tantrum. I can't believe it! I'm sure glad Serena wasn't here.'

# # # # #

Soon, the room was tidy again. Chad smiled slightly. "Now then, that looks a lot better. You're a good helper, Raye."

Raye suppressed the urge to make gagging noises. "So why'd you come in here anyway, Chad?" 'What does he want now? He hasn't given me a moment's peace.'

Chad walked over to the dresser and pulled out some panties and a set of red pajamas. Then walking over to the closet got out a set of red slippers. He walked over and set them down on the bed. Before Chad could say anything, Raye grimaced and stated defiantly, "I'm not gonna wear those!" Raye added with some disgust, "I don't like those pajamas and those slippers are..."

"What's wrong with the slippers?" Chad asked. He could feel a headache coming on. 'She's using words today I've never heard her use before...'

"Well the PJs aren't too bad... But those slippers have to go." 'I won't mention the panties. No one will see those at least.'

Chad glanced at the slippers. They were red fuzzy ones with a picture of Barbie® on each. "But Raye, you just picked these out yourself a couple of days ago."

Raye took on a surprised look. 'Darn!' "I did?"

Chad stood silently for a long moment before saying, "Yes, we were in the mall, remember?" Raye just stared at Chad. "You really wanted them." 'You wouldn't let me leave without getting them for you.' Raye just looked at the garments as if not quite believing it. "Come on. We need to get your bath and then I can read you a nice story before bed."

"I don't want a bath!" Raye yelled, "**I'M CLEAN!**"

"Raye... I told you yesterday that you'd have to take a bath tonight."

Shifting her stance to a defiant one, Raye crossed her arms and stated, "I'm NOT taking a bath!"

"Raye," Chad said in a sterner tone, "You're going to have to take a bath." Chad motioned for the child to precede him but she refused to move. "Raye, will you PLEASE come and take your bath? You'd do that for '_big brother_', wouldn't you?" His hopes of a peaceful resolution died as a look of disgust appeared on her face.

Hopping up on her bed so she was roughly at eye level with Chad, she snarled out, "Didn't you hear me? I said I'm NOT gonna take a bath! And you are NOT my big brother!"

Dropping his voice Chad responded in a quieter tone, "Raye, if you don't come with me right now, I'll carry you to the furo."

"You wouldn't dare!" Raye replied trying to match the stern gaze that Chad was using. Raye jumped off the bed for more mobility. 'Better be ready... The idiot might actually have the guts to try it.'

Giving a shrug, Chad reached out towards Raye but she backpedaled before darting quickly between his legs, and then sped out of the room. Chad froze for a moment in shock. 'That was sneaky!' he thought as he turned to give chase after his young charge. Coming out into the hall, he didn't see her. 'Which way did she go?' he thought before setting off to the left down the hall.

# # # # #

"RAYE!" Chad called sternly as he spotted the little girl dashing outside. 'She's avoided me for five minutes...' Chad stopped for a moment. 'That would make a good song title.' Giving himself a shake for becoming distracted, he started running after Raye. His longer legs soon caught up with her. Picking her up and tucking her under his arm, he proceeded back inside the temple private quarter and then to where the furo was.

"LET ME GO!" Raye howled in protest. She flailed at him with her arms and legs. "**I said I don't want a bath!**" No matter what she tried, her small body was weaker than her regular one. 'Well there's one sure '_fire_' way to make him drop me,' Raye thought evilly but before she could act on the impulse, they were inside the room containing the furo. She then found herself being placed on the ground. 'He's blocking the door!' Raye thought darkly.

"Raye, it's time for your bath," Chad stated again.

"Fine," she answered in a sulky voice, "I'll take a bath. Happy?" Chad just stood there. "Well?"

"What?" Chad asked. 'Man, I know she's fussy about getting her hair washed but this?'

"You can LEAVE!" Raye demanded. "I'm not taking a bath with YOU here."

"Raye, I don't want a fight but I can't leave you alone," Chad remarked. 'Last time, she conned me into letting her bathe alone, she really whacked her head. It scared me to death and Grandpa too.'

Raye's eyes became wide. "**YOU PERVERT!**" Chad blinked before taking on an angry expression. "Now I know why you want me to take a bath! Oh I thought you were sick this morning, but this is even worse!"

"Young lady, that's not a word that either I or your grandfather approves of." Chad bent down to look at her. "Raye, I just don't want you to get hurt like last time."

"You just want to see me naked!" Raye countered. 'That pig! Wait till I get back to normal; are you ever going to regret it!'

'Strange her being shy all of a sudden. I don't want a fight... Maybe if I compromised.' "What if I turned my head?" Chad offered.

"Forget it, mister." Raye once again took on a defiant air and stuck her tongue out at Chad.

Heaving a sigh, Chad insisted, "Raye, please get undressed. You have to take a bath and I'm not going to leave the room. If you don't want me to look, I won't look."

Raye gave this some consideration. "Okay," she squeaked trying to put on a believable air. 'You just wait, Chad... Oh, this is going to be so good.' "Promise not to look?"

"I promise," Chad agreed and turned to face the door.

Raye gave an evil grin. 'Sucker!' Softly padding over to the washing stall, she took the flexible shower head and aimed it at Chad. Trying to make the sounds of getting undressed, Raye put a kink in the hose before turning on the cold water to full.

"How are you doing?" Chad asked. 'I don't hear any water running.'

"Okay... Chad?" Raye responded. 'Okay, now to get him to turn around.'

"Yes Raye?"

"Um... could you wash my back?"

"But I thought you didn't want me to look?"

'Idiot!' Raye thought. "But it's hard to reach."

Chad started to turn around. "Okay, if your..." Chad was cut off as an icy stream of cold water hit him full in the face. He gasped and spluttered trying to get over the shock and get his breath back. "Raye, what are you..." His sentence trailed off into angry mumbling as the five year old giggled with delight and repositioned the shower head. She then gave a yelp of surprise as he took three long steps, grabbed the shower head, and turned off the water.

"Ummm... it was an accident," Raye innocently told him but she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of a very soggy Chad.

"That is it, Raye!" Chad's tone and posture made the child involuntarily gulp. "You'll have no bedtime story tonight." Placing the shower head back in its holder out of Raye's reach, he started to remove Raye's clothes. She was at first very surprised and then started to protest angrily. Chad simply ignored her and went about his work. Gently picking her up, he placed her in the furo. Raye's fighting stopped for a moment as the warm water made contact with her skin. 'Well if she isn't going to wash, then I'll have to.' Chad grimaced. 'I'll have to empty and clean this thing before tomorrow. Grandpa might want to use it. I know I need to have a bath too.'

"**You** PERVERT!" Raye screeched, her other protests were muffled out as Chad grabbed a washcloth and began to wash her face and neck. After completing that task, he snagged the soft sponge backbrush. He soaped it well before starting to scrub the rest of Raye. Through this, the little girl kept up her struggles to battle what to her way of thinking was a very perverted guy. Soon, though, Chad seemed to be finished.

"Raye, it's almost done. We just have to do your hair."

"**I WANT OUT!**" Raye howled, hot fresh tears springing unnoticed from her eyes.

"Crying won't help. I said no bedtime story and I meant it. Now hold still, Raye, so I don't get any shampoo in your eyes."

She froze. She could suddenly feel her eyes brimming with tears. 'I'm crying and HE made me do it?' Raye thought angrily, 'I'm acting just like Serena!' This just caused Raye to struggle even more.

"Raye, if you don't settle down, I'll have to spank you," Chad warned as he stopped the shampoo bottle from falling into the furo.

"Oh yeah?" Raye challenged, "Well, _Mr. Tough Guy_, you can take that threat, and stick it where the sun don't shine!"

The surprised look that crossed Chad's face made Raye smile. But she soon lost it when Chad lifted her out of the furo. He placed her in the stall before rinsing the remaining shampoo and soap off of her. Next, grabbing a large bath towel, Chad quickly and silently dried her off.

"Chad?" Raye asked. Something, a feeling, that was unfamiliar to her started to make itself known. It wasn't fear, or at least any fear that Raye had known but it grew more intense as Chad didn't respond. After drying her, he bundled her up in the towel and carried her to her room. "Oh come on, Chad," Raye started to protest but the tension that was in the air made her reconsider. After entering her room, Chad closed the door solidly behind him. He walked over to her bed, picked up her panties and pajamas, and proceeded to dress her in them. She only gave minor protests. This very unusual sensation was nearly paralyzing her. 'What's going on? I feel really strange...'

"Raye," Chad finally spoke causing her to jump slightly, "Raye, you acted _very_ badly. Your grandfather and I do not like the words that you were using. Do you know what they mean?" Raye lowered her head as a little guilt made its way into her head. "I tried to give you all the chances I could."

Raye's head snapped up and she glared at Chad. "You aren't going to make me feel guilty. **You and Grandpa are both insane!**"

What Chad did next took Raye by complete surprise. Picking her up, he laid her on her stomach across his lap. She was about to ask what he thought he was doing when the first swat landed on her bottom. Giving a squeal of protest, she tried to wriggle away from him but he was holding on to her. A second swat landed.

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING?**" Raye demanded angrily. She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. Chad was silent. 'I won't give him the satisfaction of making me cry again!' Gritting her teeth, she started to flail with her legs and arms desperately trying to get away from the young man. However, when the third swat landed, the child lost what little composure remained and she started to wail.

Chad gave her two more swats and it was over with. 'I'm sorry, Raye. I don't like to punish you,' he thought sadly as he gently placed the now bawling little girl into her bed. Pulling up the covers, he gently started to rub her back. 'I hope you'll understand...'

"**GET OUT!**" Raye managed to choke out through her sobs. Chad slowly got up, turned off the light, and walked to the door.

"Goodnight, Raye. Maybe tomorrow will be better." His only response was her crying. Giving a sigh, he switched the nightlight on before pulling the door to where it was almost closed.

'Hit me will you! You just wait!' Raye thought darkly, 'I'll have my revenge!'

# # # # #

When Chad came out of the room, he saw Grandpa Hino standing in the hallway. Silently both men walked into the dining area. Sitting down at the table, Chad sighed.

"She'll get over it, Chad. I could hear what she was saying from my room," Grandpa Hino said. "Maybe tomorrow, I can get her to talk to me. You two were starting to work it out. Her behavior was slowly improving." 'Something must've happened to her yesterday for such a sudden change.'

"Yeah, but why do I feel so badly then?" 'She hates me.'

A brief smile played across the older man's face. "Because you, like me, care about Raye and don't like to see her upset or hurt." He patted Chad's shoulder. "Don't worry... Sooner or later, Raye will want comfort and I've never known you not to provide that to her." 'More than I can say about that worthless son-in-law of mine!'

# # # # #

**Part 7 "Sisters"**

About the same time that Chad was trying to get Raye to take her bath, Mrs. Aino was drawing the water for her young daughter's bath. Undisturbed by the running water, a white ball of fur named Artemis was sleeping soundly. His white fur helped him blend seamlessly in with the white towels he was sleeping on.

After filling the tub, Mrs. Aino laid out a set of undergarments and some pajamas before calling her daughter. As Mina skipped into the bathroom, her mother announced, "Time for your bath, Mina."

"Okay Mommy," Mina agreed and waited while her mother left the room. She was comfortable with having to leave the door open. It was a minor price to pay for getting the privacy she liked. 'I like to take showers but baths are okay, and with the tub being bigger, it's a lot more fun too!' Looking up, she thought, 'Anyway, the shower's up there a long way now... Now to check the water...' "Perfect," Mina said more to herself as she tested the water; it wasn't too hot but wasn't on the cold side either. "I could get used to this." Giving a giggle, Mina started to get undressed unaware that Artemis was in the room with her.

At about that exact time, the feline slowly opened his eyes. His groggy brain didn't register that something was not quite right in the room. He knew something was odd, like he should have been doing something but no matter how hard he tried to figure out what he should have been doing, he couldn't.

Once Mina finished getting undressed, she started to move towards the tub. Suddenly, she stopped. 'Strange... I feel like somebody's watching me. Maybe Mom's checking on me.' Turning slowly around, her eyes didn't see anyone. Then something attracted her attention out of the corner of her eye. As she turned, she saw a white kitten sitting up on a pile of towels.

Giving a shriek, Mina hastily picked up the dress she just removed and covered herself, "**Artemis! What are you doing in here?**"

"Mina, you're five," Artemis replied calmly. "No need to yell. I just fell asleep in here that's all."

"**I'm fourteen!**" Mina replied hotly still holding her dress in front of her, "And I have every right to yell!"

"Mina, five year olds aren't so self-conscious," he countered.

"**GET OUT!**" she yelled again while splashing water in Artemis' direction.

"Okay! Okay, I'm leaving!" the white kitten bolted past the embarrassed Mina. "**I'm leaving!**" he yelled one more time. 'Sheesh!'

"Stupid cat!" Mina shouted. She was feeling victorious though. She was about to continue into the tub when her mother suddenly appeared in the bathroom.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Mina's mother anxiously demanded.

"I thought I saw a mouse and got scared but it was only Artemis," Mina fibbed after thinking of a quick excuse.

"That's okay, honey," Mrs. Aino said relieved, "You take your bath now, and I'll keep Artemis downstairs until you're done." With that, Mina's mother left the room.

Sliding into the tub, Mina began to wash. After several seconds, she paused in her work, 'Well, maybe Artemis is right... Still he had no business sleeping in here! Even a five year old is entitled to some privacy.' This thought just caused Mina to be irritated again. She set about scrubbing again trying to work off some of her irritation.

# # # # #

About 7:45 that evening, Amy and Lita were lying in bed. It had been a great day and they had found themselves enjoying being able to help their mother out. Lita giggled. She had made sure to inform her mother that she had received TWO stars in school that day.

Mrs. Anderson had made a definite show about it, even when she found out that Amy got two as well. Amy had tried to make it seem like nothing special while her sister made a big deal over it.

"Lita, you really started to sound like Serena there for a minute," Amy remarked turning to face her sister.

"Wha?" Lita said. She had started to drift off to sleep. Then the remark registered. "What do you mean I started to '_sound like Serena_'?"

"Well you really went all out to tell Mom how well you did in school today."

"So?" Lita retorted sitting up and placing her hands on her hips, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Amy admitted, "And please keep your voice down."

"Sorry," Lita replied, "So what's your point, Amy? I mean why shouldn't I tell Mommy?" 'The hug she gave me felt wonderful.' She was beginning to wonder what type of home life Amy had that the others didn't know about. "Does it bother you that much?"

"Sis... Lita... We're five. We're supposed to be assuming the role of five year olds. Looking at that chart, I don't think you are exactly one for academics. You're barely outdoing Serena." 'That reminds me, I should talk to Serena. She put on some show herself today.'

"Yeah but... couldn't I just get one more? Please Sis?"

Amy smiled. "Well... I guess I could let MY sister get away with it." 'Mom was very proud of you...'

Lita grinned and settled back into bed and soon both girls drifted off to sleep. Mrs. Anderson poked her head into the bedroom and looked at the girls.

'I thought I heard them talking...' Giving a shrug, she walked over, adjusted the covers, and whispered, "Pleasant dreams, girls," before leaving the room once again.

# # # # #

At around eight o'clock that same night, Chad quietly looked into Raye's room. The little girl looked miserable and angry. Her cheeks were still stained with tears. He also noticed that something was out of place. Walking quietly over to the rocking chair that was in one corner of her room, Chad picked up the Raggedy Anne® doll from its place and slowly carried it over to the bed.

Gently lifting her arm, Chad tucked the doll next to the little girl before letting her arm gently down again over it. The worried look that had been mixing with the others disappeared as Raye snuggled the doll closer in a hug. Chad rearranged the covers before once again leaving the room quietly the same way he came in. 'Well if we have to start over again... I'm quite prepared to wait.'

# # # # #

Around one in the morning, the Chibi-Scouts were snuggled in their beds. Mina was sound asleep with Artemis curled beside her head. Serena was snuggled close to Reenie with Luna at their feet, and Raye was dreaming of her vengeance on Chad. But she wasn't the only one dreaming that night. At the Anderson residence, Amy and Lita were sleeping in bed. Amy appeared to be blissfully sleeping, undisturbed by her sister's tossing and turning.

Lita was also asleep but, even to the casual observer, she wasn't having a very pleasant dream. Lita was dreaming that she was sitting in a seat that seemed huge to her. She was seated between two people that she apparently knew but she couldn't quite place. She knew they were talking to her but she couldn't comprehend the words. However, their tone was friendly and caring. This comforted her greatly. She was picking up a warmth that she remembered but again couldn't place. Suddenly the seat shook. The caring tones were drowned out with screams of terror as what was obviously an airplane cabin filled with smoke was suddenly plunged into darkness around her. As the fear of those around her reached Lita, her own fear grew until she also joined the screaming.

Lita bolted upright, fully awake, with a scream of sheer terror! Amy was jerked awake at the unexpected noise. She saw her sister quivering, visibly shaken. Lita was looking around and starting to sob; she was covered in perspiration.

Reaching over Amy hugged her sister tightly while asking, "Lita, what's wrong?" The analytical part of her brain answered with the obvious: Lita had had a nightmare. Amy told her analytical side to take a hike. She had a frightened sister to console.

Just as Lita was about to respond, their mother came into the room with a worried expression on her face. "Lita, what's wrong?"

In a shaky voice and still clinging to Amy, she replied, "Mommy, I had a bad dream."

Sitting down on the bed, Mrs. Anderson placed a comforting hand on Lita's arm before saying, "Can you tell me about the dream, dear?"

The brown-haired child was silent for several seconds before responding, "I was on a big plane when it got all smoky. People were shouting and it got really dark... I didn't know what to do!"

'Oh dear...' Mrs. Anderson thought, 'Two years and she's still having those dreams.' She knew as a doctor that Lita may never get over that traumatic experience but it was still difficult for her to see such a small child suffer so. Reaching over she drew Lita into a hug while trying to reassure her daughter that it would be all right. 'What am I going to do when it comes time to tell you why you're living with me? ' She wasn't looking forward to the difficult task ahead but she knew, sooner or later, that one of her girls was going to raise the awkward question.

Young Amy watched this scene intently. 'I know what she dreamt about. So it happened here too.' As time passed, Lita became calmer until she seemed to be feeling better. 'Good, Mom will leave now... Everything will be okay and then I can discover from Lita what really occurred.'

"Lita dear, I think you should come sleep in my bed. I don't want you to have another bad dream tonight."

This declaration surprised both little girls but as Lita thought of being close to someone that she knew loved her, a warm feeling developed. Lita got out of bed to go with her mother. Amy was also feeling something. At first, it was surprise, then a nagging sense of loss. She didn't like the thought of spending the rest of the night alone in the big bed. 'Lita's lucky,' Amy thought, 'I wish I could go with them.'

'I'm pretty lucky, but it would be more fun with Amy there too.' Lita was about to ask if Amy could come as well but instead, she cast her gaze over to her sister. What Amy did next surprised her.

"Mom, can I please come sleep with you too?" Amy let her eyes form into big pleading puppy-dog ones.

"Yes you can, honey," her mother answered. She had been expecting Amy's request but she wouldn't let her girls know it.

Giving her sister a wink, Lita said, "Hurry up, Sis, I'm cold!"

Giving a giggle in reply, the blue-haired child climbed out of bed and the three of them left the room.

"Girls, I want the two of you to go right to sleep. We have lots of things to do tomorrow."

"Yes Mommy," Amy and Lita responded in unison, their thoughts were the same as well, 'We have a great Mom!' Soon, a fit of giggles began.

# # # # #

As Amy and Lita slept with their mother, she lay awake letting her mind wander back to the past. Back to the time when she first had met Lita...

Dr. Anderson sighed. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose to rub her eyes. It had been a long night in the Emergency Room, and it was turning out to be an even longer day. Dr. Anderson was one of several doctors the hospital had called in to treat the survivors of a large plane crash. Slowly, she glanced at the chart before pushing the door open to see her next patient. Inside sitting on the examination table was a little girl of about three years old. 'Minor abrasions and trauma, smoke inhalation, shock...'

"Hi, I'm Dr. Anderson," she greeted the little girl trying to put a friendly tone into her voice, "What's your name?" The little girl just looked at her seemingly right through her. Glancing at the chart, Dr. Anderson continued, "Is your name Lita?" There was a minuscule nod but nothing else. Suppressing the urge to sigh, Dr. Anderson set about examining the child. She tried to get the toddler to talk but she never responded.

After about ten minutes, she called a nurse and had Lita Kino admitted into the Pediatric Ward. She would be staying in the hospital for recovery and observation for a few days at least. Walking down the hallway, she placed Lita's chart on the nurse's desk before picking up another one.

"How's the little girl?" one of the nurses asked.

"Shock mainly. Any known relatives?"

"No, Doctor. We've tried contacting every Kino in the phonebook. The police have been informed but nothing so far."

"Well if she doesn't have any relatives, that'll mean an orphanage." Dr. Anderson grimaced. "I hate to do that to a little girl, but... it's the only alternative."

# # # # #

Over the next couple of days, Dr. Anderson tried again to get Lita to speak but without success. The third day, however, was very different, Lita spoke but it wasn't to Dr. Anderson. Rather it was to her young daughter, Amy, who was also three years old. She had been following her mother around the hospital during her morning rounds when they had come to Lita's room. It was a shock to have Amy speak to a stranger. Amy had always been very shy in nature. What was even more of a shock was for Lita to respond.

From their brief first meeting, a bond quickly grew between them. Soon, Amy was more interested in going to visit Lita than following her mother around. As the time grew nearer for Lita Kino to be discharged, Dr. Anderson worried for both little girls. Regrettably, the little girl was slated to go to an orphanage since no relatives had appeared. It seems her parents who died in the plane crash had no living family willing to accept her. This was very distressing. Dr. Anderson found herself growing just as attached to Lita as her daughter was.

One night, Dr. Anderson asked Amy if she would like Lita as a sister. Amy seemed overjoyed at the prospect and so Dr. Anderson had started to make inquiries. Only a short time later, she was allowed to take custody of Lita and when Lita was released from the hospital, she came home with her new mother. Within a few months, Lita Anderson's adoption was finalized.

# # # # #

Over the ensuing two years, the girls had become close and both seemed to forget the whole incident in the hospital. They were simply twin sisters and had always been so. Lita still had the occasional nightmare but otherwise was a typical outgoing little girl.

# # # # #

In the present, Mrs. Anderson hugged her two girls close before drifting off to sleep. She knew that some day she would have to tell her daughters the whole story. She loathed that day but they would be entitled to know. Fortunately for her, that day was hopefully many years in the future. 'I hope you never ask because I'm not sure how you would take the truth,' was her last conscious thought.

# # # # #

Raye could hear someone calling her. At first, she thought it was her grandfather. 'Am I late for school?' Raye thought to herself, 'And what am I holding?' As she slowly opened her eyes and focused, she found herself staring directly into Chad's eyes.

"Good morning, Raye," Chad said softly, "I thought a sleepyhead like you would never wake up."

Raye opened her mouth to retort and ask Chad exactly what he thought he was doing in _her_ room when she noticed that it wasn't her room. At least not the room she was used to. 'It wasn't a dream!' "I want to get dressed **BY MYSELF!**" she immediately declared.

"Okay," Chad agreed. 'Well, if it'll get her up without a fight. Man, I hope she won't be weird like last night.' His acquiescence with her request caused Raye to blink. She watched as Chad got up, retrieved her school uniform along with other necessary items before saying, "Here are your clothes, Raye. If you need any help, I'll be right outside the door." With that, he turned and left the room.

The little raven-haired girl was now muddled. She knew she should be angry with him. She wanted to be angry with him but there was something keeping her from letting loose her anger. Sighing, she started to climb out of her bed when she finally noticed what she was hanging on to. 'A doll?' she thought with some incredulity, 'I went to sleep and hugged a doll?' She sat for several seconds staring at the Raggedy Anne doll. She was about to toss it away but found that she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Sighing once again, Raye went over and placed it gently on the rocking chair before getting dressed.

Once she came out of her room, she found Chad waiting for her. When he saw her, he complimented, "My you're becoming a big girl. Not one mistake that I can see." Raye forced herself to grin in response. "You're such a cute kid..." Chad never got a chance to finish. Giving a snarl of indignation, she stomped down the hallway muttering darkly to herself.

# # # # #

The weather for that day seemed to be matching Lita's mood. As the two girls walked to school together, Amy continued to throw looks Lita's way. She seemed to be down about something. After they had walked about half way to school in silence, Amy decided to ask, "Lita, what went on last night?"

"I don't know, Amy," the ponytailed girl replied in a sad tone, "I haven't had a nightmare about my parents' dying in a long time." She was silent for several seconds before saying, "But I've never woken up screaming before when I had them."

"Apparently, us residing in five year old bodies must be affecting the way that our troubles manifest themselves during REM sleep."

"Yeah, whatever, Amy," Lita said dismissing Amy's explanation with a wave of her hand. "The big difference from the last time I had a nightmare like last night is that I have a great mom and sister to help me through it."

"You're right, Lita," Amy replied smiling, "And we sure had fun with Mom last night." Amy then giggled, which in turn made Lita giggle as well. 'Jeez, I'm starting to act like Serena!'

The two girls continued on in a better mood and as they came to about a block away from the school, they could see that Serena was already there. They also noticed that Mina and Carrie were skipping in from the school bus. Taking on a crafty expression, Amy turned to Lita and said, "Let's race to school!" And with that declaration, she took off running down the street.

"**HEY SIS! NO FAIR!**" Lita protested and ran after her twin sister.

# # # # #

The morning lessons passed quickly and soon, it was recess time again. As soon as Serena, Amy, and Lita were let out of class, Serena went in search of her blond friend. It wasn't very hard to find her either. As she approached the group who were playing the Sailor Scout game, she waved to Mina to get her attention.

"And what can I do for you, young lady?" Mina as Sailor Venus asked.

Smiling sweetly, Serena stated, "Oh Sailor Venus... I want to play too."

"Well... Who are YOU going to be?" Mina asked.

"Silly, Sailor Moon of course."

"But I'm playing Sailor Moon," Carrie interjected. She looked as if she didn't relish being pushed out of her prized position.

"Yeah, maybe you could be a victim," Mina/Venus suggested. 'I can think of a great way to save you!'

"Can I talk to you for a second, SAILOR VENUS?" Serena asked. Not giving her time to respond, she yanked the girl away from Carrie and said in a hushed voice, "Mina, you're treading on thin ice here. If you don't want me to blow the whistle about this to Luna and Artemis, you'll convince Carrie to let me play Sailor Moon!"

Mina gulped; the realization of exactly who she was talking to kicked in. She turned back to Carrie and asked, "Carrie, would you mind if Serena was Sailor Moon today?"

"Well... I guess I could be Sailor Mars this once. But Serena has to be Sailor Mars tomorrow." 'Serena never wanted to play our game before... It'll be a lot of fun with her playing. Better than the sandbox or '_Ring Around the Rosie_' she...' Carrie blinked as Serena started to snicker. "What?"

"Ummm... Nothing, okay deal. I'll be Sailor Moon today, and then we'll trade and I'll be Sailor..." Serena couldn't continue. 'Poor kid, just wait until she gets a load of my Mars impression.' For some reason, Carrie wasn't too keen on the way that Serena was grinning.

"Hey Amy, let's go ask Mina to let us play too," Lita suggested as they watched Serena negotiate her usual place.

"No, I think I'll just sit and read." 'Maybe it'll help me think a way out of this dilemma.' Giving her sister a disappointed look, Lita wandered over to the group of girls and after a brief discussion was "_allowed_" to become Sailor Jupiter for the rest of the game. Settling herself down, Amy was about to start reading when she realized that she didn't have any books with her. Giving a sigh, she leaned back and watched for a few moments as the girls played, when a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw her teacher standing before her.

Crouching down, Amy's teacher said, "You're very smart, Amy. Would you like to try something a bit harder?"

"Yes," Amy squeaked. 'Like a little Calculus.'

"Try and see if you can understand this, Amy," her teacher requested, handing her a book, "It's a Grade Two reader."

"Thank you, I'll try," Amy replied. Giving a smile, her teacher stood up and walked away. Thumbing through the book, Amy wasn't surprised to find that she could easily understand the material. 'Well at least it is SOMETHING to read.' So settling herself more comfortably, Amy started leafing through the book. Not more than thirty seconds had passed when Amy heard a voice.

"What did teacher give you?"

Looking up, Amy noticed that it was two boys from her class. "It's a Grade Two reader," Amy replied.

Reaching out, the boy who had asked the question snatched the book and glanced through it. "Teacher's pet, aren't you? Think you're too smart to be with us?"

"No," Amy squeaked.

The second boy sneered at Amy before saying, "I think you're lying, you Miss Goody-Goody."

She sat silently. She had endured this before - the disdain of her peers. She had learned to accept it and as she grew older had learned to ignore it. As she ignored it, her peers soon realized that teasing her wasn't as satisfying as it had been. But listening to it repeat itself again, Amy couldn't keep the tears from her eyes. She felt them run slowly down her cheeks. Her tears only seemed to encourage the boys. Their taunts and barbs became harsher and with each new one, Amy seemed to feel even more helpless.

Suddenly a new voice cut through the boys' barbs, and somehow it made Amy feel a little better. "**You quit teasing MY SISTER !**" came Lita's angry bellow.

"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do if we don't quit?"

Trying to see what was happening, Amy wiped her eyes and managed to get a blurry picture of Lita stalking towards the boys.

"What am '_I_' gonna do about it?" Lita asked coldly.

"Yeah!" the boys replied in unison.

"THIS!" Lita shouted and giving a leap, she pushed the boy who had started the entire incident. He went tumbling back and landed with a thud. Glaring at the other boy who was standing open mouthed, Lita inquired, "**You want some too?**" Shaking his head, he turned and bolted away. The boy on the ground with tears forming in his eyes dropped the book and scrambled after his companion. They both disappeared around a corner. Turning back to her sister, Lita asked, "What did they say to you, Amy?" 'It's lucky I kept an eye on you, Sis.'

Giving a sniffle and wiping her eyes again, the blue-haired girl explained, "They were just teasing me, Lita. I tried not to cry but I couldn't help myself."

Feeling her own eyes moisten, Lita helped her sister to stand. Amy then wrapped her arms around Lita and explained, "Lita, it was just like when I was little. I was always teased for being smart."

"Well, I don't think those two will tease you anymore," she reassured her sister. 'What a life she must of had. I always had a lot of friends when I was little. There's got to be something... I know.' "Sis, you know when I was playing over there with Mina, they had this awful Sailor Mercury. Why don't you come try out for the part?"

"Well..." Amy pondered after a brief pause, "I guess I could, Sis." Giving each other one more hug, both Anderson girls ran over to join the group that was waiting for them.

# # # # #

**Part 8 "Points of View"**

**T**he rest of that morning passed quickly. As Amy, Serena, and Lita waited out in the schoolyard for Mina, Amy turned to her sister and asked, "What did the teacher say to you?" Lita had been pulled out of the game early by their teacher and had disappeared into the school building.

Lita shrugged before replying, "Not much. Typical stuff really."

"Then why were you looking so depressed, Lita?" Amy pressed on.

"Well..." she trailed off and blushed slightly, "She somehow found out about me pushing that bully. She wanted to know why I had shoved him." Lita shuffled her feet. "I told her that they were picking on you." Seeing the look on Amy's face, she said, "Don't worry, Sis, everything will be fine." 'It was worth it.'

Any remark that Amy might have made was precluded when Mina skipped up to the trio. Mina wasn't alone. Carrie was right behind her looking anxiously around trying to see if her bus had arrived. She wanted to talk to the girls but didn't want to miss her ride home. In addition, she was raring to go on the trip that she and the girls were taking later that day.

"Hi-ee!" Carrie and Mina declared.

"We had a great time today, didn't we?" Mina questioned.

"Yeah, Serena was a good Sailor Moon," Carrie admitted. 'She knew a lot about her.' "I gotta go but I'll see you guys later when **we go to SCOUTLAND!**"

"Scoutland?" the four other girls questioned, each staring at Carrie with some shock.

"Yeah," Carrie replied frowning, "We go today..." Something struck her odd about their reaction. They had all been eagerly anticipating this outing since their parents gave their permission for them to go last week. 'Is something wrong with Mina?' She looked at her friend a bit confused and said, "I thought you REALLY wanted to go?"

"I do!" Mina quickly reassured her friend, "It's just... we forgot." Mina giggled a little. "Silly us, we'll see you later then!"

"**Yeah, we REALLY want to go!**" Serena jumped in. "Now you don't want to miss the bus, Carrie." The twins nodded in agreement.

Carrie gave them a strange look before smiling again. "Mina, you're getting silly like Serena."

"Hey!" Mina and Serena squawked in unison as Amy and Lita giggled.

"Later!" Carrie giggled and skipped towards the school bus.

"Scoutland?" Serena questioned as the four friends headed for the entrance, "I've never heard of that before."

"Maybe it has something to do with this reality," Amy speculated softly.

Just as the four little girls were about to step out of the schoolyard, Lita nudged Mina and said, "Hey, isn't that Chris?"

"Where?" Mina asked looking all around, "Oh Yeah!"

"Who's Chris?" Serena inquired somewhat confused. She followed their looks and spotted a tall well-built young man of fifteen. "Who is he?" Serena asked again when her first question wasn't answered.

"He's this really adorable hunk that goes to Mina's school..." Lita explained.

"Yeah... We have a friendly little wager that I'm going to win!" Mina interjected. 'A senior like him would prefer a sophisticated woman such as myself. I'll prove it!' She started towards the teen. However, she was drawn up short when Lita grabbed her arm. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Wait here, Mina, and we'll settle this right now," Lita instructed. "When he passes by, we'll both say hello to him." Mina didn't look too happy about that but nodded in agreement.

When the young man passed them both, Mina and Lita squeaked, "Hi!" Chris quickly looked down at the two kindergarteners. To their astonishment, he only mumbled a "_Hello_" and continued on his way.

"Why that... He reminds me of my..." Lita paused and blinked.

"What's the matter, Lita?" Amy asked.

"**It-It's gone!**" Lita exclaimed. 'I should feel something...'

"What's gone?" Serena asked slightly confused.

"I didn't even think about going after that guy!" Mina piped in. "I mean, my eyes tell me he's really, REALLY cute looking... Sorta like one of my cousins..." Mina ground to a halt and shivered, 'How could I think any of my cousins are cute?'

"I didn't have any desire to go after him!" the ponytailed girl whined.

"Yeah," Mina agreed taking on a greenish tinge, "If we aren't interested in guys, what's the use of being five?" 'Not that any of the boys in our kindergarten class...' She found Amy and to a lesser extent Serena staring at her. "What?"

"Come on," Amy said, "Let's go. We don't want Mrs. Tsukino worrying about where we are." The four girls started moving down the street heading for Serena's house.

# # # # #

Ten minutes later, the girls were nearly to the Tsukino home when Serena observed, "Hey guys, isn't that Chad's motorcycle?"

"It looks like it but there's a sidecar attached to it," Mina observed. "What would Chad be doing at your place, Serena?"

None of the girls had any answer to that question so they continued up the front walkway to the door. Ellen opened the door as they approached. She smiled and said, "Girls, I'm glad to see you didn't dawdle today. Now come on inside and have some lunch."

The girls complied and entered the house. However, Lita, Mina, and Amy nearly tripped over Serena when she came to a sudden halt. Amy was about to ask why she stopped when she saw the young man that was the object of Serena's attention sitting at the kitchen table holding a cup in his hands.

"Serena?" her mother asked. There was no answer. "Serena!" Her young daughter whirled around and stared at her mother. "Is something wrong?"

"No Mommy," Serena squeaked out, sending an awed look towards the figure sitting in the chair. It was matched by the other girls.

"You girls go wash up for lunch; take Raye along with you. I'll be up in a minute to help you get changed into your play clothes." Serena nodded and, once she had taken off her shoes, she moved off to find Raye.

Finding her friend wasn't difficult. Raye was sitting on the couch with arms crossed looking none too pleased about something. Her scowl lessened when she saw that Serena had Amy with her. Hopping off the couch, the little brunette grabbed Amy's arm and hissed, "We need to talk!" and started leading Amy up towards Serena's bedroom. Serena looked over at Lita and Mina before following the pair up the stairs.

"Mommy told us to wash up," Serena reminded her when she saw Raye heading for her room. Raye stopped then changed course nearly dragging Amy into the bathroom. Once all the girls were in, Raye moved to close the door but Serena stopped her, "Just let the water run," Serena instructed. 'Closing the door would make Mom suspicious.' Serena scowled, 'Now how did I know that?'

Pulling out a stepstool and placing it on the floor next to the washbasin, Serena started to wash her hands while Raye complained, "Amy, PLEASE tell me you have figured out a way to get us back to normal!"

"Sorry Raye," Amy answered rubbing her arm where the priestess had gripped her, "I haven't had time to complete my analysis of what happened to us. I've only barely begun."

"Don't you know anything?" Raye demanded throwing up her hands. "**I HATE being five!**" 'Why hasn't she figured it out? I don't think I can stand another day like this!'

"Well, there are some biochemical changes that are certainly asserting themselves," Amy explained. "We had a young man pass by and it appears that our chemistry is that of five year olds. All this is speculation, of course, until I can run a full battery of tests."

"Lita, what did your sister say?" Mina questioned.

"I have absolutely no idea," Lita giggled.

"Uh, guys, maybe we should wash up first," Serena suggested getting off the stool, "Besides, there's something I wanted to ask Raye."

"What's that?" Raye asked sourly.

"Just one question," Serena said, "**WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO CHAD?**"

"I don't know!" Raye retorted, "He's turned into some type of sick demented..."

"But cute," Mina interjected and got a dark look from Raye in return. 'Sorta like Daddy...' Mina turned slightly green and took on a disgusted look. 'Ick! What am I thinking?'

"Yes, Chad appears to be more responsible," Amy observed critically. "I mean, he doesn't look as scruffy as he used to - clean shaven, decent haircut even though it's still long."

"Don't let that fool you. He still sings badly!" Raye stated darkly while crossing her arms.

"What's with you, Raye?" Lita asked. "You seem really annoyed or something?" Her only response was Raye walking out the door. The other girls quickly finished washing their hands and followed Raye into Serena's room. A few moments later, Ellen appeared and helped the girls get dressed before leading them downstairs for lunch.

# # # # #

As they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Tsukino instructed, "Now, girls, let me see your hands." One by one the girls held up their hands. "Very good, Serena," Ellen complimented her daughter who smiled broadly. She also complimented Amy and Lita on their good job. Mina, being inclined to show off, displayed her hands if she were modeling gloves. Ellen being the accommodating type clapped and complimented Mina on her thorough wash job. Lita and Serena giggled. "Raye, can I see you hands?" Ellen asked. Raye pulled her hands out of her pockets and stuck them up with a sigh. "Honey, did you wash your hands?"

Raye looked at her hands before saying, "But they're clean."

"Raye, go wash your hands please," Chad ordered getting up and walking over to stand beside Mrs. Tsukino.

"But they're clean! I didn't get 'em dirty!" Raye protested. It wasn't that she didn't like washing her hands. She just didn't like to being TOLD to wash her hands. Chad walked over, took her by the hand, and led her into the downstairs' bathroom. Raye started to make a fuss but then remembered that her friends were watching so she reluctantly went with him.

"Raye, you have to wash your hands. Now do you want me to help you?"

"No," Raye said flatly crossing her arms as best she could.

Chad let go of her hand, turned on the water, and handed Raye the bar of soap. "Then, you can wash them yourself," he said retrieving the stepstool. Grudgingly, she took the soap, stepped up to the washbasin, and started to wash her hands. She was quite aware of the girls' whispered conversation and occasional giggles just outside. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she would bet that it was about her.

Soon enough, the girls were eating lunch and chatting while Raye sulked. That is Raye sulked until the girls, knowing Luna was asleep upstairs, brought up the topic of the Sailor Scout game they were playing at school. She got caught up in the descriptions and was actively chatting with everyone by the time that lunch was over.

As Ellen and Chad went to set up the living room for the girls' naps, Serena turned to Raye and stated, "Raye, you should have listened to Mommy and washed your hands."

"You're such a meatball head... My hands are clean. I didn't need to wash them," Raye huffed regaining her sour mood.

Serena's bottom lip started to tremble and tears started to well up in her eyes. Amy, seeing this, leaned over and said, "Serena was just trying to help, Raye."

"Okay... So MAYBE I should have washed my hands," Raye admitted. Serena immediately brightened and smiled cheerily. "Anyway why am I over here? Chad won't tell me anything." Raye griped. "He acts as if I should know this stuff. All he kept mentioning was that if I didn't want..." Raye trailed off. 'Kami, I nearly said too much. It's best I don't mention Chad said that if I acted like I did when I was taking my bath, he'd take me home and I wouldn't be going with them. Like I care what he says but Serena would never let me hear the end of it.'

Any reply was cut short when the two grownups reappeared in the room. "Now, girls," Mrs. Tsukino said, "It's time for your naps." Raye opened her mouth to protest but all that came out was a substantial yawn. To her, a nap actually sounded good though she had no idea why she would be so tired. Getting up off the chair, Raye followed the other girls into the living room. As they were getting comfortable, Chad suddenly appeared beside where Raye was laying and held something out.

"Awww... She's _soooo_ cute!" Serena declared seeing the Raggedy Anne doll. Raye, at first, didn't want to take it but, as the seconds passed, she realized that Chad was giving her an odd look. Feeling a slight nudge from Amy, she reached up and took the doll.

'Why do I like this childish thing?' Raye wondered. She surprised herself by hugging it. 'If Serena thinks she's getting it, she can forget it!' This other thought caused Raye to blink. Soon though, all five girls slid into sleep and the room was quiet. Chad and Ellen returned to the kitchen and poured themselves each a cup of tea. It was going to be a long day for them.

# # # # #

Rubeus' UFO floated high above Tokyo undetected. As he appeared, Rubeus looked at the Four Sisters and declared, "I have discovered another Crystal Point. It is here." As he pointed, a map of Tokyo overlaid with a map of Crystal Tokyo appeared. "The place is a pitiful shrine to those loathsome Chibi-Scouts!" He clenched his fist. "Who will go and capture this point for the Negaverse?"

"I will..." Avery volunteered, "I have the perfect Droid for this job." With that, Avery walked through a mirror and disappeared. Rubeus smiled nastily. He would capture that Crystal Point and maybe even the Rabbit!

# # # # #

While the girls had been waiting for Reenie's arrival from school, they played in Serena's room. Amy managed to start her analysis while Serena and Mina lost themselves playing with Serena's burgeoning stuffed bunny collection. Raye for her part moped around the room muttering darkly about Chad, baths, and nasty things she was going to do to him. Lita was keeping lookout but she was also keeping an eye on Raye. Lita attributed Raye's annoyance to not being able to date Chad.

Soon, Serena began to tire of her bunnies and, as she glanced at the clock in the hall, found herself becoming restless. She uneasily sat and watched Raye for a few minutes. Her curiosity finally piqued, Serena got up, walked over to Raye, and asked, "Raye, can I see your doll please?"

"No," Raye snapped and hugged it possessively to her, "This is MY doll. I don't want your grubby little hands all over it."

"Hey!" Serena protested, "It's just a doll. Come on, I just want to see it. I did ask you if I could..."

"No, go play with your stupid rabbits, Meatball Head!" Raye hissed and turned her back on Serena. Serena's bottom lip started to tremble, and then she sniffled.

"**FINE!**" Serena shouted, "**Keep your STUPID old doll!**" She then pointedly turned and stomped over to Mina and flopped down to play with her bunnies again.

"My doll IS NOT stupid!" Raye snarled. She turned around and stalked over to where Serena and Mina were sitting. "That!" she said and aimed a kick at a stuffed rabbit sitting on the floor, "Is stupid!" The other girls were frozen watching the spectacle.

"**Mr. Floppy!**" Serena cried and chased after her favorite rabbit as it sailed through the room and hit the far wall. She was about to wail when she heard the door opening and Reenie enter the house. Sticking her tongue out at Raye, she ran out of the room and went down the stairs. Once down them, she raced around the corner and over to Reenie. "Hi!" Serena yelled happily and hugged Reenie who eagerly obliged her "_sister_" and hugged Serena back.

"And how is Mr. Floppy today, Serena?" Reenie asked.

"He's okay," Serena said cheerfully, "Now that you're here." 'I hope Raye didn't hurt him.'

"Okay girls, let's get ready and then we'll go pick Carrie up." Ellen called upstairs to the other girls. When Raye came downstairs, she stuck her tongue out at Serena while Mrs. Tsukino wasn't looking.

# # # # #

The drive to Scoutland was a boisterous one. Ellen and Chad were sitting in the front seats of the minivan. Lita and Amy were in the middle along with Mina and Carrie. Taking up the rear seat were Raye and Serena with Reenie sitting between them.

By the time they got to the Scoutland parking lot, the girls, even Raye, had worked themselves into a frenzy of excitement. This excitement was disgusting Raye but she seemed to be fooling Chad and that was all that mattered.

"**GIRLS!**" Mrs. Tsukino shouted commanding silence, "You have to stay with us." She looked each girl in the eye before nodding and saying, "Okay! Let's go have some fun!" Giving a cheer, the girls hurriedly piled out of the van. Mina did a somersault to Carrie's delight. Raye, trying to keep up appearances, snorted and daintily climbed out of the van. She was somewhat shocked to have Chad hoist her up and settle her on his shoulders before taking Mina's and Carrie's hands.

"Hold on tight," he declared. 'Raye loves this.'

'Kami!' Raye thought as she looked down to the ground. It seemed a long ways off. For some reason, this excited her. "'Kay!" She complied and clung to the top of Chad's head. 'I can't believe this!' Raye thought as she started to bob up and down synchronized with the motion of Chad's walking, 'I shouldn't be enjoying this!' Although she wanted to get back at Chad. She wanted to do it in a covert way. Something that wouldn't come back on her so she tried to hide her face and still keep her sitting position.

"Lucky duck," Serena griped as she saw that Raye didn't have to walk. In fact, Raye seemed to be enjoying the ride. She felt Reenie squeeze her hand gently so she looked up and saw the older girl smiling.

"Chad's doing that so we don't have to split up Mina and Carrie." Reenie gave her an even bigger smile. "Besides, me and you are hangin' out together, right Little Sister?"

"Yeah!" Serena declared and then giggled, "You're right, Big Sister." Ellen who was walking behind her daughter, smiled.

# # # # #

Scoutland Amusement Park was a Sailor Scout theme park. Most of its patrons were children under ten with their parents. There were a number of attractions geared for younger children. The park was a favorite of theirs. There were many renderings of the Sailor Scouts throughout although only somewhat accurate. People in Sailor Scout or animal costumes roamed around the park grounds.

The girls except for Raye were caught up in the excitement of Scoutland and gawking at the various suited figures that were ushering the customers. What became the focus of their attention though was the giant Sailor Moon lookalike that was standing just past the gates greeting everyone. Reenie saw Serena's eyes bulge slightly at the sight and smiled.

"Yeah, she looks a lot like you," Reenie observed. 'Too bad she isn't the real one. I need to help Mommy.'

"Yeah," Serena agreed, "But..." she trailed off remembering that she was supposed be acting like a five year old. "Cool!" Serena squeaked. She wasn't the only one that was surprised by the character of Sailor Moon greeting them. In fact, the other girls were surprised to see the giant form of Sailor Moon towering over them.

"And what's your name?" the giant Scout asked the girls as they came into the park proper.

"And what's it to you?" Raye snapped back. 'Idiot! Bad enough I have to put up with one meatball head and her rabbit head friend, now I have this other meatball head asking my name!'

"Raye!" Chad hissed out and gave one of her legs a mild squeeze.

"Sorry..." Raye squeaked out in her best apologetic voice.

The giant Scout ignored her and went on to the other girls. When she came to Serena, she said, "My, you must really like the Chibi-Scouts!"

"Yeah!" Serena chirped and giggled, "You'll never guess my favorite!"

"Hmmm..." the giant Sailor Moon pondered conspicuously, "Would it be... Sailor Moon?"

"YEAH!" Serena crowed gleefully and clapped her hands, "You're right!" Raye just looked up at the sky in disgust.

# # # # #

The first attraction was a small show performed by young women dressed as Chibi-Scouts. It was a short skit mainly to introduce the different characters that would be wandering around Scoutland.

As they watched the show, Mina commented to Carrie, "That doesn't look much like Sailor Venus at all."

"Yeah," Lita put in, "And Jupiter's eyes are the wrong color."

"They got Mars down pretty good," Serena muttered, "Only thing missing are the horns!"

"Serena!" Reenie hissed, "There are little kids that like Sailor Mars."

"'Kay," Serena squeaked. 'Poor kids...' she giggled to herself.

"Girls, quiet. Let's watch the show," Mrs. Tsukino chided softly. Complying, the girls settled back to watch the rest of the show in silence but as they were leaving the performance area, it started up again.

"And that Sailor Moon! They did her hair wrong," Mina remarked. Carrie nodded in agreement. Reenie also nodded but was careful not to attract attention to herself.

"That Mercury seemed awfully tall to me," Serena commented.

"Well they aren't the real ones, Serena. They are just pretending," Reenie whispered to Serena and sent her younger sister a wink. This caused Serena to giggle. The debate, or rather critique, lasted until they got to the first real attraction. It was one that made Lita's eyes light up with anticipation.

What Lita saw was a pony ride. Each pony had a little placard with a different Scout's name on it. Lita's eyes enlarged and all her attention was focused on one particular pony giving a little girl a ride. It had a "Sailor Jupiter" placard. Lita's mouth formed a large, almost enraptured, grin.

"Would you like to take a ride, Lita?" Mrs. Tsukino asked.

"Yes please!" Lita answered not taking her eyes from the pony.

"Anybody else?"

"Me!" all the other girls called. Unnoticed by Raye, Chad smiled as he thought that maybe it wouldn't be such a long day. Although the other girls enjoyed the ride, Lita seemed almost reluctant to get off the pony and as they walked away from the pony ride area, she kept glancing back over her shoulder.

The next stop as they went through the park was a trampoline type of structure. Actually, it was a rubber construct of a castle that was filled completely with air. Serena spent most of the time pretending that she was a bunny rabbit. She would have liked Reenie to join her but was still delighted to have her "_big sister_" watching her and her friends. What annoyed Serena was that Raye wouldn't come and play. Raye was quite content to sit on Chad's shoulders and look around the park. Reenie wanted to join Serena inside but she had seen one of her classmates. Playing with Serena and the other little girls at the park or in the Tsukino home was one thing; playing bunny rabbit with Serena in public where her classmates could see her was quite a different matter. Sometimes, she wished she could be so carefree. Reenie was happy still to watch her "_little sister_" bounce. Lita and Amy were not very enthusiastic about it. The ones who really shined were Mina and to a lesser extent Carrie. They were in their element as they tumbled, bounced, and somersaulted around giggling with delight.

There was a fascinating collage of colors and sounds as children and parents went to the different attractions and costumed people wandered around interacting with the children. The little group soon moved on and, as the afternoon progressed, most girls found something that they were particularly delighted with. Amy found her element in a larger version of ring toss where she won a stuffed toy. Serena and Reenie were very much entranced with the petting zoo that they found. It featured many animals but Serena ignored them and headed straight for the bunny rabbits.

Not many of them were thrilled with the merry-go-round, Raye in particular found it very dull. Lita because of the ponies was the lone exception although Amy made an effort for her sister's sake.

Raye had found most of afternoon's events boring and made no effort to hide that fact. However, Chad knew what Raye liked. It was a small Ferris wheel. As Raye and Chad rode in the car, she squealed in delight, much to her utter disgust. She could see out over the gates out into Tokyo and the entire grounds. The little priestess tried to deny it but she loved every minute of the ride.

As time passed, the girls began to get thirsty. The day hadn't been particularly hot but they'd done a lot of walking and giggling. Ellen and Chad along with Reenie led the smaller girls over to the concession stands to get drinks and have a little rest break before doing one more tour before going home.

# # # # #

As Raye leaned up against a wall, she felt something stir. At first, she was uncertain of what it was, and then as she concentrated, she realized what the stirring had been. 'A premonition!' Raye smiled broadly, '**I still can sense evil!**' She let a small sigh of relief and a little contentment escaped her. Giving herself a shake, Raye started to concentrate to see if she could detect where it was coming from but as usual, she could not pinpoint its exact location.

Walking over to Amy and Lita, Raye whispered, "The Negaverse is near."

Both girls blinked. "Are you sure?" Lita asked looking around the area. 'At last, maybe a little action.'

"Yeah... I sense it," Raye confirmed. She was keeping her voice low so as to not let Carrie overhear their conversation, "You two distract Carrie for a couple of seconds, and I'll tell Mina and Serena." As Amy and Lita called Carrie over, Raye went over to two blondes. Reenie was standing near Ellen so Raye hurried and told both Serena and Mina what she had discovered.

"Okay, but what do we do if they attack?" Serena asked, "I mean do we transform in front of my mom and Chad?"

"Not to mention Carrie and Reenie," Mina added in.

"Just wait and see what happens," Raye said, "I can't tell where it is but I do feel it's close by." 'The problem is there are people walking around in costumes that could be Droids.'

# # # # #

After the girls had finished their drinks, they set off for one last go around to the girls' favorite attractions before going home. This time, they had to keep an eye out for danger.

# # # # #

**Part 9 "Going Nuts over You!"**

**A**s the seven little girls, Mrs. Tsukino, and Chad roamed around Scoutland, Raye's sense of evil continued to intensify. She couldn't really pinpoint where exactly it was coming from but something evil was around and it seemed powerful. She had stopped riding on Chad's shoulders and was now walking just a few steps ahead of him, any thought of mischief banished to the dark recesses of her mind.

There had been some false alarms. A giant turtle singing badly was, at first, suspect. Raye couldn't believe that there were people worse than Chad when it came to singing. Another false alarm was when a giant carrot came running towards them babbling something about giant bunnies. To say that these false alarms were disconcerting would be an understatement.

Reenie walking behind the rest of the group with Serena noticed that something was wrong. The girls seemed to be nervous. She regarded Serena who appeared to be more attentive and anxiously glancing around. The typically talkative smiling little girl was now silent except for the occasional comment. It was obvious to Reenie that Serena was just trying to keep up appearances.

"Serena, is something wrong?" Reenie asked softly. 'What's she worried about?'

"No..." Serena replied after a brief pause and then gave a nervous giggle. "Nothing that my BIG SISTER can't handle," Serena said trying to reassure the older girl. Reenie smiled back and then continued to walk in silence.

A few moments later they heard a voice calling out, "**PEANUTS! GET YOUR PEANUTS HERE!**"

"Can we get some, Mommy?" Serena squeaked out, her tummy overriding her worry that the Negaverse was about. She missed the dark look that Raye sent her as she looked hopefully towards the costumed man dressed as a squirrel.

Mrs. Tsukino checked her purse. "I suppose, dear, IF they aren't too salty," she decided.

Reenie suddenly let go of Serena's hand, hurried over to Mrs. Tsukino, and whispered something. Ellen grimaced slightly but nodded, "Okay, girls, let's find a spot to sit while we wait for Reenie." Reenie had dashed off headed in the direction of the restrooms. As the girls settled on a nearby bench, Ellen walked over and bought two bags of peanuts. She handed one of them to Chad.

Serena who was near her mother outstretched her hand and asked, "Can I have some, please Mommy?" 'I'm starving!'

"Hold on, Serena. I want to see if they're too salty," Mrs. Tsukino repeated to her young daughter. Reaching into her bag, Ellen took out a couple of peanuts and popped them into her mouth. Chad followed suit. He didn't notice that Carrie had snuck up behind him and darted her hand into his bag. Quickly, she pulled her hand away, shoved some of the peanuts into her mouth, and started to chew.

Ellen scrunched her face. "Th-They taste... funny," she said after swallowing.

"Yeah," Chad agreed, also making a face, "But it isn't salt."

Carrie, once again, snuck up behind Chad. Licking her lips, she reached out and snatched a couple more peanuts. She quickly popped the treasured nuts into her mouth before either grownup could see her. She normally wasn't allowed to have nuts. Her mother deemed her too young to have them. So sneaking something _forbidden_ was certainly exciting. Mina giggled as she watched her friend successfully outwit the adults.

The girls watched in some surprise as Mrs. Tsukino's face changed, seeming to soften. A broad grin slowly spread across her face and she started to giggle. Chad had a similar reaction although he didn't giggle.

"**COOL DUDE!**" Chad suddenly shouted and, reaching over, tagged Ellen, "You're it!"

"Hey!" Ellen squawked. "**That ain't fair!**" she shouted as she started off after Chad. "**You come back here and play fair!**" she whined.

"**Ellen! Chad! You two come back here THIS MINUTE!**" boomed a high-pitched voice.

"Carrie?" Mina squeaked softly looking at her friend with some shock. She saw Carrie glaring disapprovingly at the two adults who were running around playing tag.

"Aww Miss Sayama," Chad whined to Carrie, "Lighten up, girl!" Running, he got behind Carrie and used her as a shield. "**Can't catch me!**" he jeered at Mrs. Tsukino before running off again.

"Ellen, you stop right this minute!" the little girl admonished, "There are too many people around here to play those types of games." Mrs. Tsukino skidded to a halt and stuck out her bottom lip. "Don't you dare pout, young lady." Tears started to well up in Ellen's eyes. Turning slightly, Carrie bellowed, "CHAD! GET BACK HERE!"

"Amy?" Serena whispered while the girls huddled together, "What... what's happening?" 'They're acting really weird especially Mom.'

"Those peanuts are infected with nega-energy, Serena," Amy explained after making a quick scan with her minicomputer, "If Carrie, Chad, and Mrs. Tsukino are any indication, then the peanuts must cause people's behavior either to regress or grow up." The other girls glanced around. Wherever the peanut vendor had walked, similar situations were taking place. Adults were acting like kids and kids were acting like adults.

"We've got to find a place to transform," Raye urged softly, "We have a good opportunity to do it now when Carrie is out chasing after Chad." 'That looks like fun...' The little girl was dragging a teary-eyed Ellen Tsukino along chasing Chad who was sprinting around the park grounds. 'Got to keep my mind on business.'

"Okay let's go," Serena agreed. 'I hope Mom and Reenie will be all right.' Quietly, not wanting to attract undue attention to themselves, the girls quickly slipped through the crowd looking for a place to transform. Eventually, they found a secluded spot behind two stalls with bushes blocking the other ends. Calling out their transformation phrases, the five little girls vanished and were replaced with the Sailor Scouts!

"Let's go!" Sailor Jupiter yelled and, leaping, sailed over the stall and into the crowd. Her companions were not long in coming.

# # # # #

"MOMMY LOOK! THE CHIBI-SCOUTS!" one little girl about six called out.

What happened next was a total shock to the Sailor Scouts. Typically, when they showed up people would flock away from them. No sooner had the declaration been given than the Sailor Scouts were swamped by a horde of Scout-crazed fanatics.

"That way!" Sailor Mercury declared using her minicomputer to locate the Droid, now that she had a reading on the infected peanuts that the Droid was carrying.

"Quick before these rugrats overrun us!" Sailor Mars ordered. With that, she set out as fast as she could dodging people that were trying to talk to her. The others were quick to follow although Sailor Moon and Venus lagged behind a little as they stopped to sign autographs for children.

# # # # #

"The plan is going well," Avery boasted. Her Droid nodded. "We will soon take this Crystal Point." 'Rubeus will be pleased.' That's when she heard a voice, a voice she loathed.

"Peanuts are a tasty treat and should not be used to harm people! I AM SAILOR MOON, THE CHAMPION OF LOVE AND JUSTICE! **IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I WILL PUNISH YOU!**"

Whatever Avery's response was going to be was drowned out by a tremendous cheer. Glancing back over her shoulder, Jupiter whistled. Turning slightly to see what the noise had been, the Scouts found themselves to be the center of an ever-growing throng of people.

"Why aren't they running away?" Mars asked testily.

"Droid Dyno-nut, get those annoying Sailor pests!" Avery shouted. This brought a large amount of booing and hissing from the gathered crowd.

"As you command," the giant squirrel replied. Instantly, in a swirl of dark nega-energy, its coat darkened to an almost midnight black color, its eyes glowed a violent red, and its claws sharpened into deadly points. "Are you looking for a blast?" the Droid asked as it tossed an oversized acorn at the Sailor Scouts. The acorn landed on the roof that the Scouts were just standing on. They immediately jumped and, as they did so, the acorn exploded into a burst of flames. A shout of indignation rose from the crowd as the Scouts' faithful fans demanded that they deal with this villain.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" was Mars' battle cry as she landed on the ground. The blazing rings of fire lanced out and to Mars' dismay passed under the rodent Droid's legs. However, the Droid yelled in pain as the fire singed its fur. 'Kami, I should have aimed higher. I HATE being five!' Off in one part of the growing crowd, a chant for Sailor Mars started to build.

Not to be outdone, Sailor Jupiter began her own attack. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" Throwing her attack, it hit the Droid but the resulting concussion blew Jupiter backwards and she skidded on her rear. "Ouch!" Jupiter screeched. This got some chuckles out of the crowd. "Stay back!" Jupiter ordered as children started to rush towards her.

"Oh, you like explosions, do you?" Dyno-nut asked hefting a large chestnut, "Try this one!" With that, it threw the nut. It sailed through the air toward the Scouts and they quickly scrambled out of its way. The chestnut landed and exploded enveloping the area in smoke. The sounds of frightened children were soon heard. Some of the parents were starting to wonder what kind of show this was for young children.

# # # # #

Reenie was trying to hurry. She wanted to get back to see Serena so that they could continue through the theme park. She was also hoping that Serena might tell her why she looked so worried. Reenie was just beginning to wash her hands when a little girl burst into the restroom and shouted, "**The Chibi-Scouts are here!** And they're fighting a monster!"

"Really?" another little girl demanded. Getting a nod from the first, both sprinted out of the restroom.

"Serena!" Reenie shouted. Not bothering to dry her hands, she bolted out of the restroom and ran right into a churning sea of bodies. 'I have to find Serena!' Reenie thought worriedly, 'But if they see me, they might come after me... Mommy, I'm so scared!' She was torn between going to look for her little sister and staying out of sight until it was all over with. "Please be okay, Serena. Please..." Reenie prayed to herself and entered into the throng of people. However, the further she went, the more she was pushed away from her goal. 'I'll try and get to you soon, Little Sister. I promise. I hope Sailor Moon will keep you safe.' Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she tried to work against the flow of bodies.

# # # # #

"Venus, try and tie up its hands!" Mars called while scrambling to her feet. 'These crazy people think it's just a show!' Clenching her fists, she was about to tell the crowd that it wasn't a show but realized that it just might cause even more problems. A mass panic would not do them any good.

In fact, those affected by the peanuts were in even more of a dangerous position. Parents were frozen in terror while their children tried to pull them away to safety. Other children were desperately trying to tell their parents that it was all make believe and they shouldn't believe everything they see. And in some areas, children who hadn't been affected but their parents had were terrified or running off thinking it was a great opportunity to get into mischief.

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" Sailor Venus cried launching her attack. Her golden chain flew through the air and wrapped itself around the Droid's arms. "Gotcha!" Venus cried and started to pull.

"Oh, you want to play tug of war!" the Droid chattered and started to pull the chain hand over hand drawing Venus closer.

"Help!" Venus squawked as her feet started to slide along the ground. The others ran over and, grabbing hold of the chain, started to heave with all their Scout-enhanced strength. After a minute or so of being stalemated, the Droid yawned showing its sharp fangs before it grinned. Taking a firm grip with both hands, the Droid jerked and started to twirl the chain around. The Scouts were lifted off their feet and started spinning.

"Oooohhhhhhh!" Sailor Moon groaned out, "I'm gonna be sick!"

"You're not the only one!" Jupiter shouted.

Giving one more twirl of the chain, the Droid let go and sent the Scouts flying backwards. Grinning, it pulled out a massive peanut nearly as large as itself. "Now to finish you off!" it declared while hefting the giant nut over its head. That's when a streak of red flashed and landed between the rodent's clawed feet.

"Peanuts can be fattening and so you should avoid them! I am..."

"**TUXEDO MASK!**" Sailors Moon and Mars shouted cutting him off.

Giving a growl, the Droid turned and aimed its deadly weapon at the new intruder. However, before it could launch it, Tuxedo Mask launched himself into the air and threw several roses blinding the Droid.

"NOW SAILOR MOON!" Tuxedo Mask called as he landed on the ground.

"RIGHT!" Sailor Moon replied drawing out her scepter. She shouted, "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" Giant crescent moon shaped energy leapt forth and neatly cut the Droid in half. The giant peanut bomb and the Droid disappeared into a pile of nega-dust. "Dusted!" Sailor Moon declared after the Droid had been defeated. A cheer went up from the assembled crowd.

"Mercury, cover us!" Venus called out. Nodding Mercury created a fog and the Scouts vanished much to the disappointment of the crowd. The Chibi-Scouts returned to their original hiding spot and changed before hurrying to get back to where they had left Serena's mother.

# # # # #

"**MOMMY!**" Serena cried running towards her mother. "I was so scared!" she cried while wrapping her arms around her mother's legs. She was happy to feel Ellen pick her up and give her a hug. "Are you okay, Mommy?" her five year old daughter asked worriedly.

"Yes, honey, I am," Mrs. Tsukino answered with a concerned look crossing her face. 'Why's my face so wet?' She could see that Serena and the other girls appeared to be worried. "Why were you scared?" she asked her daughter.

"'Cuz the Sailor Scouts were here," Serena answered hugging her mother, "They fought a really scary monster."

Raye watched Chad carefully; he seemed to be acting normal. She had to fight down the urge to run over to him and ask how he was doing. Carrie seemed to be shaken up a little bit but Mina was talking to her telling her that it was all right. Amy and Lita were also shaken. 'They must be feeling the same thing I am... That was a very close fight!'

"Serena!" came the call. Turning, the group saw Reenie running towards them. Serena wriggled free of her mother's reassuring hug and ran over to Reenie. Jumping up, she hugged Reenie's neck. "I'm back, Serena. It's okay," Reenie said hugging the little girl. 'I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you earlier.'

"Maybe we should go home," Ellen declared. To her surprise, everyone nodded. Making sure she had everyone, they were heading for the exit when they came upon the battle scene. The area was crater pocked from the explosions. Ellen shivered slightly and Raye walked a little closer to Chad's legs. The ride home was much more subdued. Mina waved good-bye to Carrie when they had dropped the little girl off saying that she'd see her in school tomorrow.

As they arrived at the Tsukino home, Chad told Raye to wait outside while he went and got their helmets. Raye wasn't about to argue.

"Thank you for taking me, Mrs. Tsukino," Raye said to Ellen when Chad came out. Chad smiled.

"You're very welcome, Raye. Good-bye."

"Bye," Raye chirped and waved to the others who waved back. Raye settled into the sidecar. Then Chad started his motorcycle and headed for home to the temple.

"We had a really good time. Thanks, Mrs. Tsukino," Amy said.

"Yeah, it was really fun!" Lita agreed.

"Yeah!" Serena and Reenie agreed, "Thanks."

"You're quite welcome, girls," Mrs. Tsukino replied. "Now come on, girls. Let's get you all washed up." She looked at Amy, Lita, and Mina. "I want you to look good when your parents come to pick you up." Turning, the five little girls and Ellen entered the home.

# # # # #

Later that evening, Artemis found himself stalking around the living room. Having been summarily banished downstairs until Mina was finished with her bath, little Artemis was on the prowl looking for something to keep him occupied. He had made two complete circuits of the room and was about to give up when something moving caught his eye. Stopping, he tensed slightly only shifting his eyes. A piece of yarn dangled from an arm of a chair, its red strand being blown by a gentle breeze coming in through a nearby open window.

'Yes!' Artemis thought happily. It had been such a long time since he had played with yarn, that even watching it sway gently back and forth was mesmerizing. Drawing himself into a bundle of muscles, Artemis leapt and, scrabbling with tiny paws, he caught the yarn before falling to the ground. He started to tug at it trying to dislodge the ball of yarn that was the source of the strand.

After tugging for a few moments, Artemis was breathing hard. This was harder work than he remembered. Dropping the part he was playing with, he carefully picked his way up the furniture and giving another leap landed on the chair's arm. He felt like he was going to lose his balance and fall for a moment before he softly jumped onto the chair seat. There, sitting wedged between the cushion and the arm, was a giant red ball of yarn. Giving what in human terms would have been considered a face swallowing grin, he pounced on the ball of yarn. His forward momentum carried the kitten and yarn off of the chair to land with a mild thump on the floor.

After several enjoyable minutes, Artemis found himself thoroughly entangled in the yarn. Struggle as he might, he couldn't free himself. Panic started to build within him. Twisting and turning, he tried to get out but it was useless; he merely entangled himself more. Starting to mew for help, he was soon discovered by Mina.

"Artemis?" Mina's voice came to him as she entered the room. Her tone was concerned. "Where are you?" Artemis mewed a little louder while trying to hide his embarrassment. He had no wish for his charge to see him trussed up like some Thanksgiving turkey.

Mina came around the coffee table and discovered the kitten brightly wrapped in red yarn. "Oh!" Mina chirped, slightly shocked. Her concern took over and hurrying she gathered her kitten up and started to unwrap him. "Silly kitty," Mina giggled as the concern started to be replaced with amusement. Artemis glared at Mina who only cuddled him close and giggled. "You do such silly things!" Mina reiterated. "Mommy won't like that you unwrapped all her yarn."

"You're right. She won't," Mrs. Aino said sternly, "Mina, I told you to put him in your room."

"I'm really sorry, Mommy," Mina said meekly.

"It's okay," Mrs. Aino sighed. "Give me a hug and then go up to bed. Your father will be up in a minute to read you a bedtime story."

"'Kay!" Mina squeaked while skipping over. After reaching her mother, Mina eagerly hugged her and managed to nearly squash Artemis in the process. "'Night!"

"Goodnight, honey," Mrs. Aino said while hugging her daughter. After her little girl had gone up the steps, Mrs. Aino sighed and set about the task for wrapping her yarn back up into a ball. 'Cats!' she thought irritatedly, 'Where did she ever find him? If I didn't know any better, I'd say Artemis did this on purpose...'

# # # # #

The next morning, Amy pulled Lita and Serena aside for a quiet chat before school. Making sure no one was around, she lectured, "Okay, from now on, we behave like our five year old counterparts!"

"Huh?" Lita and Serena responded.

"Serena, no more stars..." Amy scowled as Lita snickered. "And that goes for you too, Lita!" she hissed out and poked Lita to make her point.

"But Amy, I like getting stars!" Serena whined out. "It's the first time my parents were ever proud of me!" She started to pout while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, why should we act dumb?" Lita argued. "I mean, we can breeze through these things... 'Sides, it isn't like we're going to be here for very long, Amy."

Amy felt her resolve starting to melt but then she remembered being teased. "No!" she stated firmly, "No stars! Now I want each of you to promise me that you'll flunk everything."

"But Amy..." her pigtailed friend began but trailed off as her usually quiet friend glared at her. "'Kay fine..." Serena snapped and then brushed past Amy muttering, "You're no fun!" 'Now I won't get a hug from Mom today.'

"Serena!" Lita protested but it was too late. Serena was already deep in conversation with Mina and Carrie. "Oh okay, Amy," she agreed, "But I still don't see what the big deal is."

'You're lucky you don't,' Amy thought as she felt the Grade Two reader pressing against her from inside her backpack. Sighing slightly, she just said, "Trust me, Sis, we need to do this." Turning, she started to walk towards the rest of their group. "I'll try and cheer Serena up."

"That shouldn't be hard," Lita giggled out. This got a snicker out of Amy. Soon after they joined Serena, Mina, and Carrie, they were called into class.

# # # # #

"Good morning, Amy," her teacher greeted her, "Did you try and read the book I gave you?"

Amy waited until the entire class was looking at them before she spoke in a slightly louder than normal tone of voice, "It was too hard, Ma'am. I really tried but I couldn't figure out a lot of the words." She felt some satisfaction as her fellow students' eyes grew large and she heard some whisperings.

"Well at least you tried," her teacher consoled her. She then took the book that Amy handed her. "You are doing really well, Amy. I bet your mother is very proud of you." Amy nodded and then moved off to take her seat. Once the attendance was taken, the class got settled down to the business at hand. "Okay, Serena, we'll start with you today. What is this letter?"

'I should be able to get this right!' Serena thought, 'But NO, Amy doesn't want me to get a star!' She scowled darkly at Amy and then said, "It's a '**P**'."

"Oh, you're very close. Try again," the teacher asked.

"A '**4**'?" Serena guessed. The teacher frowned, "'**9**'?"

"No, Serena, it is the letter '**R**'." Shuffling the cards, the teacher turned next to Lita. "What letter is this, Lita?" she asked while holding up a card.

"A '**R**'," Lita guessed.

"No, please try again." 'Where'd my newest star pupils go?'

"'**A**'?" Lita asked tentatively.

"No, the letter is a '**Q**'." 'Amy... Amy will stop this poor performance streak.' She grabbed her set of Grade One cards and held one up. "Amy, what letters are these and what do they spell?"

'Got to make this look good.' "D... U... G," Amy said and then winced at the frown the teacher gave her.

"Try again, Amy."

"D... O... G... Ah... Dig?"

"You have the letters right but try the word again, Amy."

"Da... dog?"

"Correct," the teacher said but it was obvious that the rest of the class was just as shocked as she was. 'Maybe she just wasn't listening.' But as the lessons progressed, she discovered that Serena and Lita's performance had taken a decided nosedive. Their performance dived to a level even below what it had been before their recent prowess. Not only that but they had taken _her_ prized pupil, Amy Anderson, down along with them. It was rather distressing.

As recess time came, the teacher had the morbid duty of handing out stars to almost everyone except Amy, Lita, and Serena. The students were in shock. This was the first time in quite some time that Amy failed to receive a star. As they were filing out the door, she stopped Amy and asked, "Is anything wrong, Amy?"

"No, Ma'am," Amy replied.

"Well if you need any help, let me know."

"'Kay." Amy nodded and then hurried to catch up with her friends with a definite smile on her face.

# # # # #

"Serena, you promised to be Sailor Mars today," Carrie reminded the little pigtailed blonde.

"Yep!" Serena said brightly, "And you're Sailor Moon." She felt an evil grin spread across her face and she fought to hide it. "So what's the plan today, Sailor Venus?" she asked Mina.

"Wait until the others come, SAILOR MARS," Mina giggled and then waved Lita and Amy over. Once Mina had assembled the proper amount of Scouts, villains, and victims to be saved, the game began. At first, it was fairly innocent enough. Serena was having a fun time hamming it up as Sailor Mars. Carrie even agreed that Serena made a far better Mars than Moon. That's when things started to go terribly wrong. Serena took offense to one of Carrie's comments. She started treating "_Sailor Moon_" like she perceived Raye treating her. In short, the poor girl wound up in tears.

"Way to go, Serena!" Mina hissed angrily, "What the heck were you doing?"

"Hey, Raye does that to me all the time!" Serena hissed back trying to defend herself but she couldn't deny the guilty feeling that was making itself known.

"Yeah but you're fourteen!" Mina hissed almost in a whisper, "Carrie's only five... Apologize to her."

Serena flushed guiltily, shuffled over to Carrie, and said, "Carrie, I'm really sorry for making you cry. I didn't mean to be mean to you." The girl sniffled and looked at Serena. "You make a GREAT Sailor Moon. I think she'd be proud."

"Really?" Carrie sniffled out.

"Yeah, Mina would agree with me."

"Yeah!" Mina piped in, "Serena is just a little cranky today. Please, Carrie, come and play."

"Pretty please?" Serena repeated and clasped her hands.

"'Kay!" Carrie chirped and wiped her eyes. She gave Serena a quick hug.

While Serena was apologizing to Carrie, Amy and Lita were in the back of the group. As Amy looked around the schoolyard, her gaze fell upon someone that seemed familiar to her. "Lita, do you know who that is?" she asked while pointing over towards the fence.

Lita looked over and then felt her mouth swinging open. "That's Catsy," she finally managed to croak out, "This is not good." Amy nodded in agreement and, taking the opportunity, slipped away while the others' backs were turned.

"Now that that's settled," Mina observed after Serena had apologized and Carrie was still going to play, "We can start another one." 'Where'd Amy and Lita go?'

Just then, a new voice spoke up from behind the group, "Can I play too?"

Turning around, the group of girls saw a plain-looking girl standing in front of them. 'I don't remember her. She must be in Serena's class...' "Well... You can't play a Scout," Mina noted, "'Cuz we got all of them. You wanna play a victim?"

"Nope," the little girl answered.

"No?" Carrie asked surprised, "Then who do you wanna play?"

"**A DROID!**" she shouted as a swirl of dark energy enveloped her...

# # # # #

**Part 10 "Reality Sets In!"**

"**W**HAT?" Carrie screamed in horror tinged confusion as she watched a dark swirling vortex of energy swallow the little girl. She failed to notice the surprised and panicked expressions that Mina and Serena were sporting.

"Mommy..." one of the little boys whimpered out.

"Don't worry, kid. It's only a... **NIGHTMARE!**" the demonic child cackled. She was dressed in a set of bunny-style pajamas and holding two overstuffed pillows. To Carrie, the Droid appeared, vaguely, to resemble Mina's friend Raye. Whether it was from her long shiny black hair or the two little horns sticking out from her forehead, she wasn't sure though.

Just as the Droid was about to attack, a voice shouted out, "Play is something to be enjoyed! For ruining that fun on behalf of JUPITER..."

"And MERCURY!"

"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!" Turning, the children on the playground saw the outlines of two figures near the school building. As the figures leapt down, it became apparent that they were two of the Sailor Scouts.

"It's the Chibi-Scouts!" a few of the children yelled.

"**GET THEM!**" Catsy screeched, "GET THEM BEFORE THE OTHER BRATS SHOW UP!" 'Damn those rugrats. Rubeus will be furious!'

"As you command!" the Droid shouted and turning fully to face both Sailor Scouts, it threw both oversized pillows at them. Immediately, two more appeared in its hands, ready to be thrown.

Setting herself solidly against the school building wall, Jupiter shouted out her attack of, "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" The ball of energy flew forward and exploded the two pillows engulfing the area in a cloud of feathers. "Mercury, give the others some cover!" Sailor Jupiter shouted as she covered her face to protect it from the shower of feathers that had begun to glow. As the feathers came in contact with several of the children, they instantly fell asleep.

"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" was Mercury's battle cry, and soon the schoolyard was engulfed in a billowing, cold fog bank. As the fog rolled in Mina and Serena slipped away and transformed as well.

"**IT'S ONLY FOG!**" Catsy cried, "**Get those brats!**"

"Children are NOT brats! They are sweet and innocent. I am Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice! For wanting to corrupt that innocence on behalf of the Moon, I WILL PUNISH YOU!"

Giving a speech was not the wisest thing to do. As soon as Sailor Moon had finished her speech, she was clobbered by two of the Droid's pillows causing her to be thrown back across the schoolyard. Some of the children unaffected by the feathers began to cry.

Sailor Jupiter was about to blast another pillow the Droid was preparing to throw at Venus when Mercury stopped her. "**NO!**" Mercury shouted, "If you blow up those pillows and the feathers touch Venus, she'll fall asleep." Jupiter didn't look happy but nodded. "MERCURY ICE STORM SPLASH!" Sailor Mercury shouted. Flying ice energy went forth and knocked the Droid off its feet as Jupiter went to help Sailor Moon up. "Venus, wrap her arms up!" Mercury called running over to help Venus.

"Right!" Venus yelled, "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" The golden chain sped out and bound the Droid's arms to its sides. With Mercury's help, Venus kept the tension on the chain. That was until Catsy decided that she had better help.

"WATCH OUT!" Sailor Moon cried as she saw Catsy start her attack.

Losing their concentration, Sailors Venus and Mercury only barely dodged out of the way of Catsy's attack. This unfortunately caused the Droid to be released from Venus' chain. It promptly turned towards its tormentors. It started to advance on them when a streak of red stopped it cold in its tracks.

"Sleep is meant to heal the body and soul, NOT for evil purposes! I AM..." There was a pause. "TUXEDO MASK!" the voice finally finished.

Typically, Sailor Moon would have provided the identity but she had a skeptical look on her face.

"What's the matter?" Jupiter asked her friend.

"His speeches are getting cornier than MINE!" Sailor Moon commented.

The Droid seemed in total agreement and flung four pillows at the formally attired masked man. Tuxedo Mask easily dodged the weapons and landed beside Sailor Moon. "Now!" he commanded her.

"Right!" Sailor Moon said. 'I'm missing something...' Shaking herself, Sailor Moon drew her scepter and shouted, "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" As her Droid was destroyed, Catsy gave a growl and teleported away. The last thing she heard was Sailor Moon shouting gleefully, "Dusted!"

"Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Moon said but he only nodded and leapt away. 'Darien...' She looked around and noted that those students who hadn't ran away, or rather been pulled away by teachers, were starting to wake up.

"Let's get out of here and back to normal before people start to wonder where we went," Jupiter instructed. The others nodded and bounded away.

# # # # #

Reenie was worried. She had become aware of the commotion but her teacher had told the class to remain in their seats. She desperately wanted to go and see what was happening. The feeling was even more intense as she heard that the Sailor Scouts were fighting in the schoolyard near the Kindergarten area. 'Serena!' she thought, 'Serena and the others would be out there playing... They have recess about this time.' Just when she was about to take the chance and try to slip down to see how the fight was going, it appeared to be over. 'Please be all right, Serena!' Reenie thought, 'I'll be with you as soon as I can...'

# # # # #

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, well as uneventfully as a day in which the Sailor Scouts appeared could. The teachers deemed it prudent to keep the students occupied. In Serena's class, that wasn't a problem. All of the class was shocked into numbness. The "_Goody-Goody_" of the class was bombing question after question. Even Serena and Lita were outperforming her. It was if the "_brain child_" wanted to deliberately flunk everything the teacher tried to get her to do. By the end of the day, Amy's teacher was near to having a nervous breakdown. Not only was her prized student suddenly flunking everything but also something really weird on their playground had happened. So it was with some relief that she released her class into the charge of their parents.

As Amy walked along, she wasn't conscious of the conversation that Lita and Serena were having. Amy was deep in thought, a place she felt right at home. 'What am I going to tell the girls?' There was something very strange happening to them but Amy wasn't really sure how to explain it. 'Raye seems to dislike being five. Her behavior has been rather odd... and the others' as well. I have to admit that I'm also not acting like I typically do.' Amy sighed.

"What's the matter, Ames?" Serena asked noticing for the first time that Amy hadn't even been paying attention to their conversation. "You sound really down."

"Nothing Serena," Amy replied and tried to smile, "Just... I was thinking that Raye doesn't like being five."

"Yeah, I know. Raye hates everything so nothin' weird about that. 'Sides, what's so wrong about being five?" Serena remarked.

"Lotsa stuff," Carrie's voice broke in, "You have to go to bed when your mommy and daddy tell you... Have to eat what they give you... Serena, Sammy bugs you all the time!" 'I can't wait to be big.'

"Well yeah... I guess," Serena agreed, "But the hugs are nice." Carrie just sighed and shook her head. "Well, I like being five."

"Serena... you're weird," Carrie remarked, then smiled, and skipped towards her bus before Serena could protest. Mina giggled and waved good-bye to her friend.

# # # # #

Luna was bored. Typically, she would be sleeping but she seemed to have a large amount of energy. Padding softly, she left Serena's room and wandered around the house for a few minutes looking for something to do. Mrs. Tsukino was busy making lunch and didn't want to play. Her not wanting to play was a bit of a disappointment. It was WANTING to play that actually shocked Luna.

After making her way back up the stairs, Luna eventually discovered a red rubber ball. What was even more fascinating was the thrill she got out of chasing it around Sammy's room. Giving it a good swat, it hurtled to one wall and then it promptly bounced out the door. Luna took off after it in hot pursuit.

'I haven't had this much fun in a long time!' She always found herself being so reserved; it was hard not to let go when she had a good chance and no one was around. She skidded on the slick wooden floor and slid into the wall. Setting herself, she pounced on the ball. It bounced off her and went "_skipping_" into another room.

Carefully, Luna stalked into the room. She halted, standing still as the ball's momentum finally stopped and it lay still. She crouched low and slowly made her way towards her prey. Once within range, she gathered herself and pounced!

As before, the ball bounced off Luna. What she wasn't prepared for was when it bounced her right into the furo. Soaking wet, Luna started to peddle to get out of the furo but fear started to creep up on her. As it grew stronger, she felt like something was pulling her under. Starting to mew in terror, she was relieved to see Ellen come running into the bathroom.

"Luna!" Mrs. Tsukino cried out and running over scooped up the soggy kitten, "You poor little thing. Let's get you dried off." Ellen then heard a familiar voice from downstairs, "Good thing too, Serena's home. You wouldn't want to scare her now, would you?"

"Meowrrr..." Luna said and tried to shake herself. 'How embarrassing!'

# # # # #

Shortly after Raye had woken up from her nap, she found Chad searching his room. "Whatcha doing?" Raye asked innocently. She knew perfectly well what he was doing.

Without turning around, Chad said, "I'm looking for those new guitar strings I bought yesterday. I have to replace one of mine but I can't find the package..." Chad stopped his searching and swung his gaze towards little Raye. "You didn't happen to hide them, did you?"

"No!" Raye replied putting on an exasperated air. 'Of course I did, you idiot, and you'll never find them! That should stop your singing!' Chad was looking slightly dubious so she decided to use the way she looked to her advantage. "'Sides, I'm not allowed in your room by myself." She then smiled sweetly at him.

"I guess you're right..." Chad agreed half-heartedly, "I wish I could find them though."

"Chad, can I go over and see Serena, please?" Raye asked making her eyes look like a puppy-dog's. 'They had to fight a Droid. I wonder how they made out? Not like I'm concerned about that meatball head anyway.'

"Okay Raye, you were really good yesterday. Go get your coat, and I'll drive you over there." Raye smiled at Chad and walked out of the room. 'Now where did I put those strings?'

# # # # #

After a few minutes, Raye found herself huddled in Serena's room. Lita was keeping watch by the door while the Sailor Scouts conducted an impromptu meeting. "Amy, it's been nearly a week!" Raye started off after making sure that Chad and Serena's mother were out of listening range, "Can't you tell us anything?"

Amy took a breath while she gathered her thoughts. "I'll start with certainties first. One, we are aging at a normal rate..."

"**NO!**" Raye howled, "**I don't wanna go through a second childhood!**" 'I WILL NOT STAY FIVE!'

"Keep it down," Lita cautioned, "What else, Amy?"

"Two, although our minds may be those of fourteen year old adolescent girls, our bodies are definitely those of five year olds." She glanced at Raye but the priestess had simply crossed her arms and was glowering at the floor. "Our biological makeup is that of children."

"Huh?" Serena said; Lita wasn't far behind.

"Serena, do you remember when Lita and Mina weren't attracted to that guy?" Serena nodded. "Well, that's typical for five year old girls. They aren't attracted physically to good-looking guys. Mina and Lita probably felt that it was THE COOLEST thing just to be noticed by that guy." Amy ignored the wails that Lita and Mina sent up. "Do you understand?"

"Well... Sorta," Serena offered.

"So what other stuff happens 'sides not wanting to chase guys?" Luna asked from her seat on Serena's bed.

'Huh... Is Luna feeling all right?' Lita wondered.

Amy shrugged. "Smaller bladders, less emotional control, shorter attention spans, more sleep. I've found that I'm acting differently than I normally do." This got the attention of everyone as they all looked at Amy. Amy blushed. "I mean, I'm taking naps and they feel good. I can't stay up late at nights and study like I used to. Serena, weren't you saying something about food?"

Raye snorted but Serena ignored it. "Yep, I get full. My eyes tell me I'm hungry but, usually, I have enough of a problem finishing what Mommy or Daddy gives me." She paused. "And I don't feel hungry all the time anymore either."

"Do you have a solution?" Raye prodded. "I certainly don't want to stay stuck like this, Amy."

"No, not at the present time. I can't seem to concentrate like I used to. I just haven't had the time either," Amy admitted, "But with this discovery of what I guess we could term '_**chibi-chemistry**_' will certainly help." She looked at Raye who had developed a scowl on her face, "And another thing, I don't want you showing off in school, Raye."

"What?" Raye asked surprised. 'This is really doing a number on Amy.'

"That goes for you too, Mina. Carrie mentioned how _smart_ you are lately," Amy continued, "We're five and we should be behaving like five year old girls!" She looked around the room. "Raye, I don't know what your marks are like now but please don't go using your experience to make you speed to the head of the class." To Amy's surprise, it was Mina who looked guiltily at the floor while flushing in embarrassment.

"Amy, if we stayed five would we become five mentally?" Raye asked.

Amy considered this for several seconds before saying, "I'm not sure at the moment. It's certainly a possibility... Why Raye?"

"Just wonderin'." 'Well that would explain why the others are acting so weird... except for Meatball Head that is,' she giggled to herself. "So... I hear you fought a Droid."

"Yeah!" Serena said, "You should have been there... then again if you had been there, then I couldn't have played Sailor Mars."

"What?" Raye demanded as Serena took on a smug expression. "Well, I traded places with Carrie when we were playing today and she says that I make a great Sailor Mars."

"What's this about a game?" Luna demanded.

"You make a great Sailor Mars!" Raye said in disbelief. "Oh please! Luna should've let Carrie PLAY Sailor Moon. From what I've heard, she'd make a better Sailor Moon than you!"

"Raye, you take that back!" Serena squeaked stomping up to stand in front of Raye, "Why can't you ever say anything nice about me?" The start of tears was already evident.

"Okay, you're right. Serena, you're perfect for Sailor Moon."

"Really?" Serena said smiling hopefully. The others were hopeful as well that this was the end of it.

"Yeah, you and Sailor Moon are both dense as bricks!"

"Hey!"

"Hay is for horses!" Raye retorted smugly. "Face it, Serena. You're dumb and you always will be."

"I'm not dumb, Raye!" Serena whined out while her eyes filled with tears, "Why are you always picking on me?" She fought to keep from wailing.

"'Cuz anyone with a meatball head like yours certainly wouldn't have a brain!"

Serena burst into tears. She was about to wail as well when a new voice stopped her, "Raye Hino, you take that back!" Turning, the girls saw an angry-looking Reenie standing in the doorway. "That isn't a very nice thing to say."

"**But it's true!**" Raye yelled. 'I'm not letting that little pink-haired brat intimidate me.' She brushed past a crying Serena and stalked over to Reenie glaring up at the older girl. "You're just a larger, dumber version of Serena." She then defiantly placed her hands on her hips and smugly looked up at Reenie.

Reenie wasn't about to take talk like that from a little five year old brat. Reaching out, she grabbed both of Raye's arms and, pulling the little girl towards her, she insisted softly, "Raye, you apologize to my little sister." 'How did Serena ever become friends with her?'

"'_Little Sister_'?" Raye sneered out, "Don't you mean '_Little Spore_'?" She then promptly kicked Reenie in the shin.

"Yoew!" Reenie screeched and let Raye go. "Oh you're gonna pay for that!"

"Oh yeah?" Raye said while backing up, "Whatcha gonna do?"

Giving a growl, Reenie leapt and tackled Raye to the floor. "You just wait!" Reenie hissed. Raye wasn't about to give up without a fight. As the two started to scuffle, verbal barbs were cast until the racket that they were creating was tremendous. Serena was both cheering Reenie on and hoping that she wouldn't hurt Raye.

This continued on for several seconds until a thunderous voice shouted, "**WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?**" That's when everything came to a screeching halt. Raye and Reenie both gulped. Standing in the doorway were Mrs. Tsukino and Chad glaring both at the little girls and the disorderly mess that the room had become.

"It's her fault!" Raye shouted. She was still pinned to the ground by Reenie with tears rolling down her face.

"It's her fault!" Reenie argued. "She made Serena cry!"

"Reenie Tsukino! You get over here this instant!" Mrs. Tsukino said sternly.

"No," Reenie said, "She'll just pick on Serena again, Aunt Ellen."

The other girls froze. They could really feel the tension in the room. Mrs. Tsukino walked over and, taking Reenie firmly by the arm, pulled her off of Raye. Chad followed suit and stood Raye up. "Now," Ellen began, "What is going on in here?"

"Raye said I was dumb," Serena explained while wiping away her tears, "She said I'd be dumb forever!" She gave a sniffle and hugged her mother's leg. Ellen let go of Reenie's arm, bent down, and picked Serena up into a hug.

"Raye, is this true?" Chad asked. Raye blinked away her tears and just looked at the floor silently. "Well?"

"Well girls?" Ellen asked looking at Lita, Amy, and Mina. "Did Raye say that Serena was dumb?"

Amy nodded. She felt terrible about tattling on Raye but her sense of right and wrong wouldn't let her lie. Not to Serena's mother. Lita, always the defender of Serena, spoke up into the tension-filled silence. "Yes, Mrs. Tsukino, Raye said that Serena was dumb and would never get smart." Raye's head shot up and she glared at brown-haired girl.

"Raye apologize, and then we're going home," Chad commanded sternly. "I'm going to have a long talk with you."

Raye's stomach started to twist into knots, another set of fresh tears came to her face. 'You pink brat! I have you to blame for this!' "I'm sorry," Raye spat out. She crossed her arms and glared at the floor.

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Tsukino," Chad said and then, taking Raye's hand, he added, "We'll be going home now. Say good-bye, Raye." Raye remained silent as Chad led her out of the room.

"And you, young lady," Ellen asked while turning to Reenie, "What were you doing fighting with Raye?"

"She said Serena was dumb and wouldn't apologize," Reenie answered. "That spoiled little brat said I was just a bigger and dumber version of Serena." She stood confident in her decision to defend Serena.

Mrs. Tsukino sat her daughter on her bed and, while wiping away the child's tears, instructed, "Honey, why don't you and the others go watch some TV. I think one of your favorite shows is on." Serena sniffled, rubbed her eyes, and then slid off the bed. She was about to take Reenie's hand and walk out of the room when her mother stopped her. "I want to talk to Reenie for a few minutes. You children go on."

Serena was about to protest but Reenie hugged her and whispered, "It's okay, Little Sister." She then gave Serena a smile. Now with a worried look on her face, Serena left the room with the others.

Walking over to the bed, Ellen sat down and told the little girl, "Reenie, close the door and come over here please." With only a slight hesitation, Reenie complied.

# # # # #

By the time supper was over, Serena was feeling really guilty. Her mother had come downstairs and had kept her and the other girls occupied. Reenie hadn't followed her down and didn't come down until Ellen had called her. It had been obvious to Serena that something had happened and Reenie was just trying to put up a brave front for her sake.

Soon after dinner, Serena slipped upstairs to talk to Reenie. She found the older girl sitting by the window staring out. Softly, Serena walked over to Reenie and asked, "Are you okay, Reenie?"

Reenie shifted slightly and gave a small smile. "Yep, everything's fine."

"Was Mommy really mad?" Serena pressed again. She saw Reenie wasn't looking her directly in the eye. "You were really quiet at supper."

"Don't worry, Serena..."

"But Mommy was REALLY mad at you," Serena continued. "She was up here a long time." As she said this, she caught Reenie's gaze.

Reenie sighed slightly and getting up walked around the room before sitting on the bed. Serena followed and sat down beside the older girl. "You're right, Serena, Aunt Ellen was really mad at me," Reenie admitted, "I should've talked to Raye like a big girl instead of getting mad at her." Reenie paused. "I was naughty, Serena, and..." A much longer pause followed as Reenie shifted uncomfortably. "She spanked me," Reenie finally confessed.

"Oh Reenie," Serena breathed out, horrified, "I didn't want you to get in that much trouble." 'I'm sorry...'

"It was nothing, Serena," Reenie said. "It was worth getting spanked so I could protect you!" She hugged Serena while saying, "You're my little sister, and I would do anything for you."

Serena was about to say more when her mother called Reenie downstairs. Getting up, Serena followed the girl down into the kitchen where her mother was waiting for them. "Reenie, would you go to the store for me?" Ellen asked.

"Sure, Aunt Ellen," Reenie said feeling a little better.

"Can I go too, Mommy?" Serena asked, "Pretty please?"

"I don't know..." Ellen said while looking at her daughter.

Reenie was about to agree with her aunt when she noticed that Serena was looking pleadingly at her. "I wouldn't mind, Aunt Ellen."

"I'll be really good," Serena promised her mother, "I'll hold Reenie's hand all the time. I promise." Her odangos and pigtails drooped as her eyes became puppy-dog-like.

"Okay Serena," her mother relented after a moment, "You can go with Reenie." Serena gave a cheer, "But you be on your best behavior," she warned.

"Yes Mommy," Serena squeaked and hugged her mother's legs.

# # # # #

After a few minutes, Serena found herself walking down the street holding Reenie's hand. Serena felt proud; it was a very strange sensation. 'Must be that thing Amy was talking about,' Serena guessed. She glanced over at Reenie and stifled a sigh. 'You poor thing... I've done some really rotten things to you when I was fourteen. And here you do everything for me...' She was about to try and cheer Reenie up a little more when Serena noticed something odd.

Coming to a complete halt and twisting her hand free of Reenie's, she hurried back to look in a particular window. "They're gone!" Serena said with some surprise. She was standing in front of the Crown Arcade.

"What's gone, Serena?" Reenie asked, "We should really hurry. We don't want Aunt Ellen to worry."

'Maybe Andrew moved them...' She started for the door but Reenie stopped her. "Can we please go in, Reenie?" Serena asked looking between the arcade and Reenie.

"I don't know..." Reenie said, considering it. It was one thing to get her aunt mad over defending Serena, it was quite another to get her mad over worrying.

"Pretty please?" Serena asked, "I just want to peruse the arcade."

Reenie blinked. 'Where'd she learn those words?' "Okay," Reenie agreed. Serena hugged her and darted into the arcade. "Hey, wait for me!" Reenie called after the little girl. 'Aunt Ellen's going to have a fit if she finds out about this.' Then another thought occurred to Reenie. 'And why does Serena want to come in here anyway?' Usually teens frequented this place.

Serena darted into the arcade and started to hunt for the missing video games. After searching for what seemed like a long time, she was about to give up when she saw Andrew. "Andrew!" she called and ran up to him.

"Do I know you, little girl?" Andrew asked, "And where are your parents?" 'She looks familiar... I think Darien brought her by once.'

"I'm Serena," Serena replied. "I come in here all the time, Andrew." He just gave her a blank look that was matched by Reenie. "Anyway, where's the Sailor Scout games?"

"Sailor... Scout... games?" Andrew queried. After a brief pause, Andrew said, "I'm sorry, little girl, but they don't make any Sailor Scout games."

"Yeah, that's right," came a new voice.

Turning, Serena saw that it was Darien. "Darien!" Serena called and moved to hug him but he just backed away. "What's the matter?"

"Why are you in here, Serena? This isn't any place for little kids."

"Darien, she can come in here," Reenie jumped in. "Why don't you give Aunt Ellen a call and we can all go out for ice cream. Raye was picking on Serena today and..."

"No," Darien stated firmly. 'I'm sorry Serena.'

'I... I don't love him,' Serena gave a small gasp. 'Well, I feel love for him but not like a boyfriend.' She didn't feel the tear roll down her face. 'Even now, he doesn't want to be around me.'

"Don't cry, Serena. It won't help," Darien assured her. "I'm just too busy to be with you anymore."

"But Darien..." Reenie started to protest.

"**I SAID NO!**" Darien bellowed.

Serena sniffled. 'All my fault... first Raye, then Mommy, and now Darien's yelling at Reenie...' With a burst of tears, Serena dashed from the arcade and down the street.

"Darien," Reenie asked trying to understand, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No Reenie," Darien sighed. "If you want to come over you can, but Serena can't."

Balling up her fists, Reenie ran out of the arcade; she was furious with Darien. She could also feel herself start to panic when at first she didn't see Serena. However, the little girl hadn't gone very far and was standing against a wall bawling. Running over to Serena, the pink-haired girl hugged her and explained, "Darien's just in a bad mood."

'I love him like Daddy; I don't love him like I used to...' This thought cut a large swath through Serena's heart. 'Well, if he doesn't want me around, then why shouldn't Reenie be with him? He seems to like her. At least I can do something nice for Reenie.' After feeling Reenie hugging her, Serena calmed down and sniffled out, "Reenie, if you wanna go with Darien, I'll go home alone."

Reenie just gave a stronger hug and said, "No, now come on, or Aunt Ellen will have Uncle Ken looking for us." 'And that would NOT be a good thing.' Reenie then took Serena's hand and started off down the street.

'Thank you...' Serena thought and gave Reenie's hand a squeeze. "**You're a great big sister!**" And to Serena, that's all that mattered at that particular moment.

# # # # #

**Part 11 "Clash of the Titans!"**

**R**aye fidgeted nervously on her bed. Upon their arrival home, Chad had instructed his charge to go wait in her room. She had been about to launch into vocal complaint when some indescribable sensation overtook her and compelled her to go to her room. It was just a feeling of dread.

Not of Chad. Raye knew that she wasn't afraid of him. It was just some very unexplainable feeling she had. Now waiting for him, Raye tried to calm herself; her stomach was rolling and heaving like an angry sea. After a moment, Raye gave up, sighing slightly, she was just about to move off her bed when a knock at the door made her jump.

"Come in," Raye said softly.

The door opened and Chad stepped in. He gently closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed. He looked at her for several seconds before saying, "Raye, you really hurt Serena's feelings today." Raye remained silent looking at the ground. "Can you tell me why you called Serena dumb?"

Raye continued to remain silent, externally that is. Internally, she was seething. 'That PINK SPORE! So what if Serena's even a bigger baby now than when she's fourteen?' Not all her anger was directed at Reenie and Serena. Some of it was directed at herself. 'Why do you care what that derelict Chad thinks?' she demanded of herself, 'Just tell him to get lost. Tell him that Serena is dumb and there isn't anything nice about her!'

'Oh man!' Chad thought as he saw Raye's face go through a contortion of expressions, 'She was really good yesterday. And up until we went to the Tsukino's, she was really good... Dude!' Chad was sometimes not very intuitive. 'Raye and Serena do have fights. Maybe...' "Raye?" he began. After a few moments, she looked up. "You and Serena were arguing again, right?"

"Yeah," Raye admitted. 'But that doesn't mean Serena's right!' "You'll just take her side." She turned her back on Chad and growled out, "Everybody likes cute little Serena!"

She briefly took on a worried expression when Chad reached over and picked her up. What happened next filled Raye simultaneously with happiness and disgust. Chad hugged her. She was happy because, well, Raye really didn't know why. To Raye's five year old part, the hug was a sign that although Chad was angry with her, he still cared about her. What disgusted Raye was very simple: she DID NOT want to care what Chad thought but found herself doing exactly that.

"Raye, you know it's wrong to tease Serena, right?" Raye nodded slightly as she continued to hug him, much to her disgust. "I was so proud of you when we were at Scoutland and before we went to the Tsukino's house. You behaved excellently." Chad moved Raye so he could look at her face. "But I was really disappointed to hear you making fun of Serena."

"But Reenie..." Raye started to protest.

"Reenie was wrong to fight with you and I'm sure Mrs. Tsukino will deal with her," Chad explained. Raye smiled slightly. Chad noted it and continued with a bit more sternness in his voice, "I was hoping you would behave and play nicely with the other girls." Raye lowered her head a little. "I had just been telling Mrs. Tsukino what a really good girl you were when we heard the noise." The girl sniffled. "Now I think maybe going to bed after you have supper will be punishment enough."

"I'm sorry, Chad," Raye sniffled out. 'Why did I say that?' Raye thought in distress, 'And why am I starting to cry?' Chad just gave her another hug before sitting her on the bed.

"I think you need to say you're sorry to Serena. She and the other girls are coming over tomorrow for a picnic lunch." He got up and walked to the door. "Raye, I want you to stay in your room. I'll come get you for supper." With that, he left, and Raye felt miserable.

# # # # #

Just before heading off to bed, Chad quietly opened Raye's door and looked into her room. He sighed softly as he padded over and carefully untangled Raye from the bed sheets. Raye had managed to cocoon herself; the only thing visible was her head and one arm that was clutching her Raggedy Anne doll.

He managed to unwrap her without disturbing her sleep. 'What's gotten into you the past few days?' Chad wondered, 'You were starting to really do well. It's almost like you're a teenager...' Chad grimaced, 'Man, let's hope that Grandpa's still around when you're that age. That way you can drive him insane and leave me alone.' Turning, he softly left the room before closing the door.

# # # # #

Raye was not the only one who was sleeping restlessly. Serena was also restless. Unlike Raye, however, her restlessness was more mumbling than movement. It had been a very stressful day for her. By the time it was time for bed, Serena was already dozing.

Now late at night with a slight chill in the air, Serena started to stir. As Serena began to move, she felt uncomfortable. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she slowly started to wake up. She looked around the room and smiled when she saw Reenie sleeping peacefully beside her. Looking over, Serena noticed that the window was open, the gentle breeze making the curtains flutter slightly.

'Brrr...' she thought, 'Who opened the window?' Serena debated for a moment whether to shut the window or not. Considering that it would be better to brave the chilly air to sleep warmly, she started to sit up but came abruptly to a halt when something wet came into contact with her skin. 'What's that?' Serena thought, then it dawned on her, 'The last time I felt like this... **That spore wet the bed!**'

"Ewww!" Serena said and scrunched up her face in disgust. Any good feelings Serena had for the pink-haired seven year old went flying out the open window as she pushed Reenie.

"Hmmm... Wha?" Reenie groggily questioned.

"Wake up!" Serena snapped and she gave Reenie another push. 'You just wait until you're awake!' She was getting ready to let her have it when Reenie suddenly bolted upright and regarded Serena.

"Oh Serena, you wet the bed."

Serena's train of thought was derailed. 'I... w-wet...' She hadn't been expecting that response. She was about to retort that it was Reenie who had wet the bed when reality sunk in. Flinging back the covers, she stared horrified at her wet pajamas.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Serena broke down and started to cry. It started out small, a trembling of the lip, and then it started to grow. It grew even more intense when Reenie consoled, "It's okay, Serena, it was just an accident. I'm not mad at you." The five year old just shook her head in denial.

"Come on, Serena. Let's get you cleaned up and the bed changed," Reenie said softly while hugging Serena. She then took the little girl's hand and guided her out of bed, "Shhhh... You don't wanna wake Aunt Ellen up, do you?"

"No..." Serena choked out and bit her lower lip to stop herself from making any more noise. It was partially successful. Sniffling, little Serena used her free hand to wipe away some of the tears. At that moment, she just wanted to tell Reenie everything and was fighting hard not to, and somehow, she managed.

# # # # #

Ellen Tsukino woke up. There's nothing unusual about someone waking up unless it's in the middle of the night. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was a little past three o'clock in the morning. She could hear noises. Slowly and quietly, she slid out of bed and peeked out from behind her door. She just managed to catch a glimpse of Reenie's pink hair before Serena's bedroom door closed. 'Now what's she doing up and with the lights on? Did something happen to Serena?' Ellen worried.

Putting on her bathrobe, Ellen started out towards Serena's room preparing to yell. She came to a stop outside Serena's door; it was slightly ajar. Peeking inside, Ellen took on a puzzled expression. 'Did Serena wet the bed?' She could see Reenie endeavoring to change the sheets quietly. She was about to walk into the room but something held her in place and she contented herself to watching what would happen next.

# # # # #

Reenie tucked in the final corner and sighed. That was the wrong thing to do because Serena sniffled and looked like she was about to cry once again. "It was an accident, Serena," Reenie reiterated, helping her little sister into bed. "Don't worry. If Sammy teases you, I'll knock his block off!"

"No," Serena replied, "I don't wanna get you into trouble, Reenie." 'I'm already causing you enough.'

"Serena," Reenie said while shutting off the main light, "I told you that I didn't mind getting into trouble for defending you. That's what big sisters do."

"I know..." Serena agreed reluctantly. She wished she would have done that same when she was the older one. She waited until Reenie had returned to the bed before saying, "It's just that Sammy always picks on me." She sniffled. "And you stayed with me instead of Darien." There was a long pause. Reenie was about to respond when Serena said, "I can see why Darien doesn't wanna be around me. I wet the bed. I'm nothing but a baby to him."

"I'll tell you a secret," Reenie said softly, "Promise not to tell anyone else?" Serena lifted her tear-streaked face and regarded the older girl. After seeing Serena's nod, Reenie admitted, "I've wet the bed before." To Reenie, the knowing look that came into Serena's eyes wasn't exactly what she had expected. "See, Serena, even I have accidents and I'm older than you."

"I'm sorry, Reenie," Serena apologized. 'I'm sorry for treating you so rottenly.' She then hugged Reenie tightly.

Reenie returned the hug but had a worried expression on her face. "Now, we should really go to sleep."

"'Kay," Serena squeaked and snuggled underneath the covers, "'Night."

"Good night, Little Sister," Reenie yawned, and soon both little girls were drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Outside the room, Ellen considered what she had heard. 'Well maybe... just maybe, I was a little too hard on Reenie.' Turning, she quietly went back to bed, but remained awake pondering the previous day's events.

# # # # #

Shortly after breakfast, Ellen looked into her daughter's room and found Reenie alone. "Where's Serena?" she curiously asked.

"I'm not sure," Reenie replied. "I'll go see if I can find her, Aunt Ellen."

"No, I just wanted to talk to you," Ellen said coming into the room and closing the door. Reenie looked curiously at her aunt. She was a bit nervous as her aunt walked across the floor and sat down on the bed. Reaching out, Ellen drew the little girl to her. "Reenie, I know you fought with Raye and that was wrong, but I am very proud of you."

"You are?" Reenie asked with a mixture of surprise and relief.

"Yes, I am," the mother answered giving a faint smile, "You are an excellent role model for Serena. She loves you very much and looks up to you." Reenie blushed and lowered her head. Ellen gently reached out and raised her head so she could look directly at Reenie. "That's one of the reasons I was upset with you yesterday, Reenie. You are very special; you also made Serena feel better after she had wetted the bed." Ellen's smile grew as Reenie's eyes enlarged. "Don't worry. It'll be your and Serena's secret."

"Thanks, Aunt Ellen." Reenie questioned, "Do you really think I'm special?"

Pulling Reenie into a hug, Ellen declared, "Yes I do. Reenie, you are the best big sister Serena could ever have." A huge smile spread across Reenie's face as she hugged her "_aunt_" in return. Shortly after that, Reenie and Serena left for school.

It was a very happy Reenie that took Serena's hand and started walking to school. If her smile could have grown any larger, it would have. Serena was proud as a peacock to be walking beside Reenie and was very energetically praising her big sister's virtues.

# # # # #

As Lita and Amy walked to school, Lita glanced over at her sister, and remarked, "Amy, you know you'd better start working on a solution before Raye does something to really foul things up."

"Yesterday wasn't all Raye's fault," Amy pointed out. "I mean who would've thought that Reenie would defend Serena?" 'And in such a violent way too.'

Lita snorted and shook her head. "THAT was not what I was referring to."

"Oh?" Amy questioned looking at Lita now, one eyebrow cocked quizzically. "So what WERE you referring to?"

"Sis, you can't tell me that you missed the way Raye was reacting."

"I thought she was behaving fairly typically, Lita," Amy offered. "I've been trying to figure out a way..." Amy trailed off as the ponytailed girl snorted again. "Would you please stop doing that, Lita? It's like you don't believe me."

"Amy!" Lita said slightly exasperated, "You have had chances to have that computer of yours running." Lita held up her hand. "Like yesterday before supper, we had an hour where you could have done some analysis."

"I wanted to but '_OH NO!_' YOU wanted to play!" the shorthaired girl shot back hotly.

"Amy?"

"WHAT?"

"We're doing it again," Lita said. "Look, Sis, I'm sorry. I just meant that Raye HATES being five. You'd better figure out a way to change us back before she kills Serena, or Reenie, or both." Amy giggled. "'Sides, by what I heard her grumbling about, she isn't too thrilled with Chad either."

Amy sighed. "I guess it's this new chemistry, Sis. I'm sorry, too." She looked over at Lita who smiled. Amy smiled mischievously at her, reached over, and yelled, "**TAG! YOU'RE IT!**" before bolting down the sidewalk.

Lita stared at the retreating genius girl for a few seconds before crying out, "Oh you just wait 'til I get my hands on you!" With that, she chased her twin into the schoolyard.

# # # # #

Lita and Amy arrived and found, to their surprise, that Reenie was standing with Mina, Carrie, and Serena. As they approached the trio, Reenie waved. "Hi Reenie, Mina, Carrie," Amy panted.

"Same... here!" Lita heaved out while drawing in great gulps of air, "Whatcha doing here, Reenie?"

"Don't leave after lunch," Reenie instructed. "Aunt Ellen said for me to walk you guys home."

"Why?" Mina asked.

"'Cuz we're going over to Raye's for a picnic lunch. I have to go now but I'll see you later." Reenie winked at Serena, grinned, and started jogging towards her class. "And remember! Don't leave without me!"

As the girls watched Reenie depart, Carrie turned to Serena and said, "So you were saying that Raye really picked on you?"

"You got it!" Serena grumbled out, "She even said Reenie was dumb!"

Carrie's eyes grew large and she stared at Serena disbelievingly. "You're kidding!" She said after a brief pause, "Did Reenie beat Raye up?"

"NO!" Serena snapped. "Say, what kept you two?" Serena asked turning finally towards Lita and Amy. "You two got here after us."

"Yeah, usually you two get here early," Mina added.

"Umm... Mina?"

"Yeah Carrie?"

"What does... '_u-us-usually_' mean?" She looked quizzically at her classmate. 'Mina's been saying a lot of big words lately.' Carrie didn't notice the glare that Amy was directing at the beribboned blonde.

Before Mina could answer, Amy decided to change the subject, "Oh, we were just having a game of tag..." She scowled as Lita snorted. "What?"

"'_Just a game of tag_', huh?" Lita scoffed. "More like make Lita chase after her sister."

"It isn't my fault you couldn't catch me," Amy supplied.

"Yeah but I didn't cheat!"

"Are you saying '_I_' cheated?" the blue-haired Anderson twin demanded hotly.

Lita was about to respond when a teacher told them to move along to class. This broke up the squabble but it certainly didn't settle the very contentious issue. Serena, for her part, was trying to figure out how anybody could cheat at tag; it just simply defied logic.

# # # # #

As promised, Reenie met the girls after the school had let out. Serena and the others had discovered that the entire school would be closing after the morning classes so that some repair work could be done.

As the little girls including, much to Mina's delight, Carrie walked to the Tsukino home, they filled Reenie in on what had happened during their Sailor Scout game that morning. Serena had found Lita trying to act out the part of Sailor Mercury rather funny although she kept it to herself. Amy also found it funny but didn't hide her amusement. Lita was less than happy seeing her sister's mirth. However, it was Mina that was the least amused of the group when Serena decided that she could play Sailor Venus. Serena had managed to "_convince_" Mina to give up her coveted role for the day. Even though Mina didn't enjoy the show that Serena put on, Carrie certainly found it to be a refreshing change.

# # # # #

Mrs. Tsukino greeted the girls upon their arrival. After piling them all into the minivan, she drove them over to the Cherry Hill Temple. Much to Serena's delight, Sammy wasn't coming. He had opted to go over and spend the afternoon with some of his friends instead of hanging out with a bunch of _little girls_. It did strike Mina and Serena as odd that Ellen allowed Artemis and Luna to come along. Ellen had told Mina that she had found Artemis trying to climb up to Serena's window. He had been trapped partway up the trellis. So it was one adult and several children along with two kittens that mounted the temple steps and were promptly greeted by the old Shinto priest Grandpa Hino.

"Hello!" Grandpa Hino greeted. "Raye and Chad are just setting up the site. Just follow the path over there to the left." He gave a smile and continued, "I'll be with you shortly. I have to do a couple of things."

"Hiyee!" the group of girls chorused, some of them waving at the priest.

"Okay girls, go see if Raye and Chad need a hand," Ellen instructed. The group of girls didn't need any further prompting and took off down the indicated path, kittens in tow. Ellen smiled as Grandpa Hino shook his balding head. "Yep, they certainly are bundles full of energy."

"Why don't you come help me bring out the food, Ellen," Grandpa Hino suggested. "I think Chad will be safe alone for a minute or so."

The older man chuckled as Ellen replied, "You're optimistic! A whole minute? I say maybe thirty seconds tops, Mr. Hino."

"Then we'd better hurry," Grandpa Hino agreed and started to walk towards the temple, "No telling when the natives will get restless." She couldn't help but let out a giggle.

# # # # #

Raye Hino looked up when she heard the running of feet and giggling. As she saw the other girls coming, she stood up from her crouched position and started walking over towards the group. 'Why'd... uh what's her name... Carrie come with them?' Raye was about to open her mouth to greet the group when she saw that Reenie was with them. 'What's that pink-haired abomination doing here?' She felt her facial muscles stiffen as she started to glare at the older girl.

"Hiya Raye!" Mina began, "What's up?"

"Yeah, you look like you ate somethin' sour," the strange girl commented. She then walked toward Raye. From only a few feet away, she cocked her head and regarded the little priestess. Carrie had rarely met Raye and she had heard horror stories about this girl from Serena and the others. 'She doesn't look so scary...' Carrie decided.

"Hiya gals!" Chad said, "Lunch will be ready soon. Why don't you all go play but stay close."

"That sounds like a good idea!" Serena enthusiastically agreed and grabbing Reenie's hand started walking off a few feet, "Come on! We can play Hide and Seek." She motioned and the others followed with Raye, in disbelief, trailing the group. After they were a short distance away from the picnic site, Serena turned to the group and said, "Who's going to be '_it_'?"

"I will," Reenie offered.

"Good, Luna, Artemis, you can play too," Serena said as she sat Luna down on the ground. "Now, kitties, don't run off... I wouldn't want you to get hit by a car, or eaten by a dog." Luna mewed and rubbed up against Serena's leg. "'Kay, let's hide!" and with that, the girls scattered as Reenie started to count.

Serena found herself a hiding place behind a shrub. She was crouched down trying to be quiet when a foot appeared in front of her. She gave a little cry of surprise and, looking up, found Raye in front of her.

"Shhh..." Raye hissed. "What are you doing in MY hiding spot?"

"But Raye," Serena started to whine, "I found it first."

Raye was about to start yelling at Serena when she remembered that Chad had asked her to at least TRY to get along with Serena. "Okay, Serena. Can I share it with you?" 'Come on, all I need is for that little pink spore to spot me!'

"I don't know..." Serena replied.

Raye scrambled in and, plopping down beside Serena, demanded, "What do you mean, '_I don't know_'?"

"Well you were really mean to Reenie," Serena retorted hotly. She glared at her fiery friend. "She got into trouble 'cause of you."

"Well she got me into even MORE trouble, Meatball Head," Raye countered. "Now keep quiet." They sat for several seconds in silence. Raye could see Serena casting nasty looks towards her and every time her friend did it, it irked Raye.

Finally, Serena couldn't stand it anymore. "Raye, I want you to apologize to Reenie." Serena added softly, "She got spanked because of you!"

"Good!" Raye said, satisfaction showing on her face, "The little spore deserved it!"

"She did not!" Serena protested jumping up, "**You were mean to her!**" Yelling and jumping up and down are not good ideas, especially when playing a game of Hide and Seek. Reenie easily caught the pair. "See what you did!" Serena protested, "You made us get caught."

"You can't blame this one on me, Meatball Head!" Raye yelled back. Serena was beginning to tear. The other girls came out of their hiding places attracted by the noise; maybe they were going to have another fight. Reenie was stalking towards Raye.

Before Serena could say anything, a distressful mewing came from above their heads. Looking up, the girls saw that Luna and Artemis were clinging to the lowest branch of a tree. They looked rather frightened.

"Luna!" Serena called nervously, "What are you doing up there?"

Luna and Artemis had gotten bored playing the game and had decided to go stalking through the bushes and grass on their own. The two kittens had found a butterfly and their attempts to catch it had led them right up the tree. However, they realized too late that they couldn't get back down.

"I'll get you down!" Serena called up. Reenie held her back. "But Reenie... I got to go get her!" Serena protested.

"I'll go get Aunt Ellen and Chad." Reenie ordered, "Stay right here and don't climb the tree." With that, she darted off to get a grownup. As soon as Reenie had gone, Serena started up the tree and managed with some effort to climb to the branch with the kittens on it.

As she looked down, the kindergartener felt a rushing sensation and immediately clamped her arms around the tree branch. 'Why'd I come up here?' she thought, 'That's a LONG ways down...' She tried to wriggle out onto the branch but it shook, which just made her more nervous. 'If only I could transform...'

"Don't worry, Carrie," Mina declared bravely. "I'll get Serena AND the kitties out of the tree! I'm '_Sailor Venus_' after all." With that, the blonde confidently strode over to the trunk and started to climb up.

She was about halfway up when Mrs. Tsukino's voice called out, "Mina! Serena!" Mina turned and nearly lost her handhold. Ellen rushed over and lifted Mina down to the ground. "Serena! Come down here!"

"I can't, Mommy... I'm scared!" Serena cried.

"Raye!" Chad said sternly as she giggled. Raye looked guiltily at Chad and he frowned. Walking over, he reached up and instructed, "Come on, Serena. Hold your arms out." The child complied. She slid off the branch but before she could fall very far was caught by Chad. "There we go," he said and set the frightened little girl safely on the ground. She had tears running down her cheeks. Chad then set about the task of rescuing the kittens.

"Serena," Ellen admonished, scooping her daughter up, "You shouldn't have climbed the tree. It's too dangerous." 'I'm so glad you weren't hurt.'

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Serena apologized. "I was scared Luna would get hurt!"

"I thought I told you not to climb the tree!" Reenie told her little sister giving her a stern yet disappointed look. Serena gulped and looked at the ground.

'Kami! What a baby!' Raye thought.

"Well she's fine," Chad said handing Luna to Serena. Luna immediately snuggled into Serena's warm embrace and purred reassuringly. Artemis quickly followed suit when he was handed to Mina. "Man, now let's go eat. I'm hungry!"

"'Kay!" Serena squeaked happily and quickly wiped away her tears. The others just rolled their eyes. There couldn't be very much wrong if Serena was interested in food.

# # # # #

**Part 12 "Cemented Understanding"**

**L**unch was pleasant, aside from Reenie, Serena, and Raye trading rather dark looks. For the most part, Reenie ignored the barbs that Raye put forth and Serena happily chatted with the other girls. After a little while, when the girls were eating cupcakes, Carrie became worried. The three grownups had moved off to the side and were having a private conversation. In her brief life, Carrie knew the signs: Mrs. Tsukino and the other adults were planning something. It usually meant something ominous was afoot.

Shortly afterwards, Chad disappeared down the path and a few minutes later, he brought back his acoustic guitar. The sight of the much feared musical instrument stopped all conversation amongst the little girls. Raye got up and walked over to Chad to stand right in front of him.

"Chad, PLEASE tell me you're NOT going to sing!" Raye begged.

Chad grinned, patted Raye on the top of her head, and said, "You know, Raye, you keep telling me that I sing terribly..."

"Well it's true!" Raye said emphatically. For some odd reason, she got the sinking feeling that he had been expecting her to say that.

"Well then, you can show me how to sing really well," Chad offered, while grinning hugely. The rather shocked expressions on the other girls' faces couldn't even come close to matching Raye's, her mouth swung open, eyes bulging.

"WHAT?" she demanded after several seconds of silence, "You can't mean that you want me to sing?"

"Not just you, Pumpkin," Grandpa Hino chimed in, "All of you." He waved his hand broadly to encircle the other startled girls. Raye scowled as Reenie snickered at her being called "_Pumpkin_" and the grin that Serena had on her face was almost as disgusting.

"What are we going to sing, Mr. Hino?" Amy tentatively asked. 'This is not looking good.' This drew some hostile looks from Reenie, Raye, and Carrie. As far as they were concerned, they didn't want any part of it. Reenie quietly prayed that Serena would beg her mother to do anything else but make them sing.

"Well let's start with an easy one... How about '_Row, Row, Row, Your Boat_'?" Ellen suggested.

"Man, I have a better one," Chad interjected. "Sing '_The Wheels on the Bus_'!"

"**OH NO!**" Raye exclaimed covering her face, "**Please anything but THAT one!**" That was all the prompting Serena needed. She stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and, tilting back her head, started singing the song as loudly as she could. Chad quickly accompanied her on his guitar.

Mina, being the ham of the group, wasn't to be outdone. Jumping up, she stood beside Serena, and started singing as well. For added effect, she started moving her body in different motions acting the song out. Raye scowled at the two little blond girls.

"Come on, Amy!" Serena said dragging her normally shy friend up. Carrie was quick to follow suit and, soon, Amy and Carrie formed part of a quartet. By the time they had gone through the song, Lita had finally succumbed to the prompting of Ellen and Chad but also because she was beginning to think it was rather fun. Chad began to wonder why Raye didn't join in. She was rarely shy about singing.

Choosing another popular children's song, the quintet soon was singing, normally, if decidedly off-pitch, for the small audience and the pair of crows that had come to investigate the shrieking in their domain. Reenie was soon dragged into the fray and, upon seeing that Raye's scowl deepen and Serena smile, the seven year old threw herself whole-heartedly into the song.

"I don't believe this," Raye said darkly, "I just don't believe this!" However, no matter what Raye thought of the entire affair, the other girls were having fun. Seeing the curious looks from Chad and her grandfather, she forced a smile and started to sing.

Raye quickly discovered her voice was not the promising teen idols that she remembered. However, that didn't matter as she was the competitive sort, and Reenie was making herself out to be a rather large target. 'I can sing better than them,' Raye convinced herself. 'They loved my singing at the Autumn Festival. Even with my voice like this, I won't let that little spore outdo me!' As the songs progressed, the others girls stopped singing one by one and even Chad stopped playing as both girls tried to one-up each other.

"That was very good, girls!" Ellen complimented and applauded when the song was finished. Unfortunately, Reenie and Raye didn't pay her any heed. They were now facing each other nearly screaming the lyrics out. Neither one was willing to back down and the air seemed to come alive with the tensions they were generating.

Unnoticed by either the grownups or the girls who were entranced with Reenie and Raye, Amy picked up a doll. She would normally have taken up a book but there were none around. The doll seemed to be a good substitute at the moment as Reenie and Raye went at it tooth and nail.

Amy was content for all of thirty seconds. That is until Lita had turned to say something to her sister about the spectacle. She noticed that Amy was playing with a doll, and HER doll at that! By now, Mrs. Tsukino, Chad, and Grandpa Hino had moved in to try and calm the other girls down. The two singing little girls were turning red in the face and their voices were becoming hoarse from use.

Stalking over to her sister, Lita snatched the doll out of Amy's hands and exclaimed, "Amy, get your own doll!"

"But I was playing with it first!" Amy protested, a hurt expression appearing on her face. "You didn't wanna play with it!"

"But it's mine!" Lita said menacingly, "You got something to say about it?"

Amy was about to retort when Ellen's voice broke in ahead of hers, "Lita?" The singing stopped. Turning, Lita saw that Mrs. Tsukino along with the others were staring at her, some with curiosity, others with concern. "Whose doll is that?"

"MINE!" Lita snapped.

"But you weren't playing with it!" Amy protested again. "I wanted to play with it and SHE stole it!" Reaching out, Amy tried to snatch the doll from her sister's hand but Lita just held it away and pushed her sister.

"I'll take that!" Mrs. Tsukino said as she stepped in and took the doll from Lita.

"Hey!" Lita protested and turned to face the adult. 'What right does she have...'

"It's time for your naps," Mrs. Tsukino said sternly, "Then you may ask for the doll back." Grandpa and Chad nodded their approval. With that, Mrs. Tsukino placed a firm hand behind Lita while pocketing the doll. Guiding the little girl over, she placed another firm hand behind Reenie and proceeded to guide both girls down the path towards the temple. Serena was quick to follow her "_sister_" and ran ahead to catch up to her mother. Grandpa Hino came over and ushered Mina and Carrie down the path as well. He was closely followed by Chad who was carrying Raye while holding Amy's hand.

Much to Serena's delight, and Reenie's chagrin, Mrs. Tsukino suggested that maybe Reenie needed a nap too. It was embarrassing to say the least. That and it seemed to give Raye some rather perverse pleasure in seeing Reenie being treated like a little kid as well. Reenie made the best of it for Serena's sake. Several minutes later, all three adults retired to the living room for tea and sighed. It had been such a lovely day too.

# # # # #

The first to wake from their afternoon naps was Reenie. She lay there listening to the other girls. She could feel herself starting to blush. 'I promised Aunt Ellen that I'd try to get along with Raye...' She turned over and looked at the dozing form of Serena. 'Instead, I started acting like I was Serena's age.' A frown crept into her features. 'Then Aunt Ellen makes ME take a nap!'

It wasn't so much the nap that annoyed Reenie. She would have been quite content to take a nap with Serena if the little girl had wanted her too. It was just the simple fact that Serena's friends had been around and it was even more embarrassing to think that she was proving that Raye's opinion of her was right. 'Some big sister I was today...'

Hearing a rustle, Reenie turned and found that Raye had sat up. Reenie slowly sat up as well and both girls looked at each other for a long moment before Raye looked away. "I guess we were pretty silly," Raye remarked softly. She felt rather embarrassed by her emotional outburst, especially with the girls there. 'It's this stupid body!' Raye suddenly thought, 'Amy had better come up with a solution soon!'

Reenie looked at the younger girl trying to gauge the comment. 'Is she trying to say she's sorry?' She knew that Raye wasn't the type of kid who apologized very well, or openly for that matter. Giving a silent sigh, Reenie decided that she'd at least try not to cause more problems between Serena and her little friends. "Yeah, I guess we BOTH were actin' silly."

Raye looked up and, after a moment, gave a half-hearted smile before getting up and crossing over to the door. Reenie debated whether or not she would follow but decided to stay and wait for Serena to wake up. The next person to wake up was Amy. Reenie watched her carefully and noticed that Amy was taking on a worried expression. She was about to ask what the problem was when Lita bolted upright and looked over at her sister. Lita's sudden movement made Reenie and Amy give a little cry of surprise; both younger girls turned and looked at Reenie.

"Amy, I..." Lita began and then trailed off. "What a thing to fight about! I..." she trailed off again and then noticed that Reenie was looking intently at her. Getting up, she pulled Amy off towards a corner and continued in a whispered voice, "I'm really sorry, Sis. I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay, Sis. I think we were just tired." She glanced back towards the other girls and noticed that Reenie was staring at them now. "I think I could've handled it better too." Lita grinned back at her twin sister. Then they gave each other a hug.

'What are they up to?' Reenie thought, 'They were about to clobber each other before the nap... Now they're all friends again!' She had seen Serena have mood swings but she never thought she could credit that particular attribute to any of Serena's friends.

# # # # #

Raye was coming from just using the bathroom when she noticed Chad's bedroom door open. Walking over to it, she heard faint strumming sounds. She was about to continue back to the girls when Chad looked up and smiled at her.

"Hi Pumpkin, did you have a good nap?"

Much to Raye's surprise, she didn't bristle at the nickname "_Pumpkin_" like she had done before. Nodding, she entered Chad's room and moved over to stand beside him. "Watch'ya doin'?" she asked. 'I hope he isn't going to sing again... or worse MAKE us sing again.'

Chad smiled, sat his guitar down on the bed, and then lifted her onto his knee. Giving her a hug, he answered, "I was tuning my guitar." She looked up at him and he smiled down at her. "You know I thought you and Reenie were going to fight again."

"Nope!" Raye squeaked. "We were being silly!" That response caused her to blink. 'Kami, where the heck did that come from?' she wondered, 'And why do I feel like giggling?' That was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do.

"Yes, you were silly," Chad admitted. "Man, I'm glad you and Reenie just acted '_silly_'." The statement itself was benign. However, Chad's tone suggested dire consequences would have followed if she had fought with Reenie like she had before. She just smiled weakly at him. "Come on, Raye. Let's go see if the others are up. Serena and the other girls probably have to leave." Setting Raye down, he took her hand and they walked out of the room. Unseen by Chad, Raye smiled. She had just gotten a very sneaky idea; she had just thought up her next prank.

# # # # #

It was sometime later that evening that Amy managed to start her analysis. It came at the point where her mother was having a talk with Lita. Setting her minicomputer in a place easily concealed, she soon had it working away.

'The real problem is that we are five. How could we have been five in this reality? Mina would've been too young to be Sailor V and there are other inconsistencies especially... Hmm, so what would make us five?' Amy considered this, 'The Imperium Silver Crystal?' It was certainly a possibility. Serena had used it to, at least in their normal reality, reincarnate the Sailor Scouts over again. 'Wait a minute!' Amy suddenly thought. Reaching over, she interrupted her computer from its current task and instead, she had it search all of its files. As the preliminary data scrolled past on the screen, Amy started to get excited. It would seem that they _had been_ fourteen years old when they had fought Queen Beryl at the North Pole.

'When Serena used the Silver Crystal she or it...' Amy paused. 'Could the Silver Crystal be sentient?' It at the very least seemed to be intuitive. 'So could it have interpreted Serena's wish to make us normal girls and changed us all into five year olds?' She got up and started to pace. 'That would not be good.' If the Crystal were intuitive, that would explain why they could have gone through the past here as teens but been reincarnated as children. 'Could... could Serena of this reality have used the Silver Crystal in that fashion?' After a few minutes, Amy rejected her line of reasoning; there was something missing. She was just about to turn back to her computer and resume processing her original program when her mother appeared in the doorway.

"Amy-honey, I want to talk to you," Mrs. Anderson said seriously.

Little Amy gulped. 'This is _definitely_ not good!'

# # # # #

The Saturday morning sun was bright. It gleamed off of the morning dew and slowly crept over Raye's windowsill. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Raye softly climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. After returning, she got dressed before sneaking back into the hall.

Walking softly over to Chad's room, she put her ear to the door and listened. She could hear his breathing; it was rhythmic, steady and deep, indicating that he was asleep. Grinning, she softly padded down the hall and peeked into the kitchen.

'Good, Grandpa isn't here!' Raye thought gleefully. Moving over to the utility drawer, she opened it and frowned. 'This isn't the right drawer...' Quietly, she moved along the lower cupboards looking in the drawers. 'Oh!' Raye thought with some irritation, 'I'm five! They would keep stuff that five year olds aren't supposed to get into someplace...' She craned her neck. 'Someplace hard to get to!'

It only took Raye another ten minutes to find what she had been looking for. Hopping off the counter, she cautiously made her way to Chad's room once again. 'I can't get caught,' she thought, 'Or I'm a goner!' Stopping in front of Chad's door, she listened and after a few moments was satisfied that he was still sound asleep.

'This'll show him.' Raye gave an evil smile as she softly slid open Chad's door. Not wasting any time, she took the two containers that made up the contact cement and quickly read over the directions. Making one last check up and down the hallway, she proceeded to apply the first part to the door jamb and the second part to the door itself. After waiting the required time, Raye slid the door closed and held it. After a few seconds, he gave it a gentle test tug. Her smile grew larger when she saw that the door appeared to be firmly cemented to the door jamb. 'Now to do mine and Grandpa's door!' Raye thought and trotted down the hall.

# # # # #

Raye skipped out of the Cherry Hill Temple grounds smiling. Taking the steps two at a time, she turned and headed for Amy's house. 'Hmm... Now I wonder what else I can do? I shouldn't get caught.'

She irritatedly brushed off the minor sense of guilt. 'Amy'd better have some answers; I have no intention of remaining five!' Another part of her mind reminded her that she would grow up. Raye pointedly told that part of her brain to take a hike. 'I will not go through a second childhood especially with Chad acting like my big brother!'

As she walked, her sense of confidence was starting to vanish. People were looking at her curiously as she walked down the street. She tried to bolster her confidence but it just fled under the more unscrupulous gazes sent her way. She started to jog and, after another five minutes, the child came within sight of her destination.

# # # # #

Raye wasn't the only one who was wide-awake that morning; Amy was as well. To a lesser extent, so was Lita. Amy for her part sat on the bed, knees drawn up, minicomputer balanced on the top of her knees as she typed away. Lita would occasionally open a bleary eye to glare at her sister before shutting her eye again.

"Amy, do you have any solutions?" Lita groggily asked. 'It's Saturday. I usually sleep in! I don't think I could stand getting up early on Saturday mornings for the rest of my life!'

"No..." Amy responded with a hint of irritation in her voice. This caused the little girl to sit up and look at her sister.

"What's the matter, Sis?" Lita asked sitting up and turning to look at Amy. Amy typed away in silence for a little while before giving a sigh and turning to face her.

"I had a solution..."

"That's great!" Lita exclaimed. 'Now I can go chase boys again!'

"But... it was the wrong one. I'm sorry, Lita," Amy apologized as she saw her sister's disappointment. "It would've been right if we had been dead."

"Huh?"

"What I found out was that WE WERE fourteen when we fought Queen Beryl. It looks like Serena in this reality used the Imperium Silver Crystal just the same as she did in our normal reality but..." Amy trailed off, unsure of how to put it.

"But?" Lita squeaked out. She didn't like the direction this was heading.

"But when Serena made her wish, for us to be normal girls again... Well... the Imperium Silver Crystal interpreted that wish and made us five!"

"Holy cow!" Lita croaked out. "Are you saying that it thought that Serena wanted to be normal, so it reincarnated us and brought us all back as five year olds and reset time like it did before?" Amy nodded. "But that doesn't answer why when Prisma zapped us..." Lita trailed off as Amy's eyes grew wide and her jaw swung open. "What?"

"Lita, you are a genius!" Amy exclaimed.

Lita was about to respond when a gentle rattle at the window drew their attention. Walking over, Lita glanced out and noticed that it was Raye. "Hey!" Lita called out softly after opening the window, "What are you doing up this time of the morning?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing!" Raye shot back, "Can I come in?"

Lita was about to respond when she heard her mother come into the room. "Lita, who are you talking to?" Mrs. Anderson asked.

"Um... It's Raye, Mommy," Lita said after a nervous look at her mother.

Mrs. Anderson frowned. Walking over to the window, she looked out and indeed saw that it was Raye Hino. "Girls, get dressed," she told them before leaving the room. 'Why am I surprised to see her? It's not like it's the first time that she's done this.' The little priestess had the habit of showing up early in the morning. Although not overly annoying, it was inconvenient at times.

Both Lita and Amy hurried and got dressed. When they came out, they found their mother talking to Raye who was just taking off her shoes. "Raye, would you like to stay for breakfast?"

Raye blushed. "I'm sorry for barging in like that, Mrs. Anderson." She hadn't intended on showing up for breakfast. 'I just wanted to get Amy moving on her research.'

"That's all right, Raye. Come on. Let's get something to eat and then you three can play together." Oddly enough, this sounded quite reasonable to Raye and nodded her acceptance of the plan.

# # # # #

It was shortly after the girls and Mrs. Anderson were finishing breakfast that the phone rang. It made everyone jump. Muttering something under her breath about tropical islands with no one around for miles and miles, Mrs. Anderson got up and went to answer the phone.

As soon as she was out of the room, Raye leaned over and said in a hushed tone, "Amy, you gotta get me out of here!"

"Why?" Amy asked, "Raye, we're still Sailor Scouts."

"Yeah but I don't wanna stay five!" Raye hissed vehemently. "Look, Amy, you're the brains of the family. Can't you figure something out?"

"Hey!" Lita squawked in protest, "Don't start picking on my sister like you do Serena." She folded her arms and glared at the raven-haired girl hotly.

'Kami!' Raye sighed and ran a hand over her face before saying, "I'm sorry, Lita. It's just that I'd prefer to be fourteen." 'I can control my emotions a lot better. At this rate, I'll be like Serena soon.' Any further conversation was cut short by Mrs. Anderson walking sternly into the kitchen.

The three little girls turned to look at the adult and gulped. "Young lady," Mrs. Anderson said, glaring disapprovingly at Raye, "You get your shoes and jacket on this minute!"

"Why?" Raye asked. She tried to sound demanding but it came out only above a meek whisper. Mrs. Anderson was certainly an imposing woman when she wanted to be and Raye's five year old chemistry was playing havoc with her confidence.

"Mommy?" Lita questioned. She had never seen her mother act like this. Even when she had talked to Lita about pushing that bully around.

"Chad is coming over to get you, Raye," Mrs. Anderson explained softly, "You snuck out of the house again. He called over to Serena's and then called here." Raye started to open her mouth to protest but hastily closed it when Amy's mother pinned her with a look that would have cut through granite! "Now go and get ready," she ordered pointing towards the door. Nodding meekly, Raye slid off the chair and went to get her jacket and shoes on.

# # # # #

Not more than ten minutes later, Raye found herself sitting on her bed waiting for Chad. The moment he had shown up on the Anderson doorstep she KNEW she was in very serious trouble. The veins on Chad's forehead were standing out like mountain ridges. His facial muscles were very tight and, when he was thanking Mrs. Anderson, Raye thought that his head might explode from the pressure. Once they had gotten back to the temple grounds, Chad had only directed her to her room and told her to stay put. Although the veins on his forehead had receded, Chad had kept silent.

By the time that Chad came into her room, Raye wasn't feeling very well. Her stomach was tied into knots and she was starting to doubt the wisdom of taking off for Amy's place unannounced. She began to think she should have asked Chad or Grandpa for permission to visit Amy. She had difficulty suppressing that thought.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Raye?" Chad asked quietly.

"I was okay!" Raye snapped. 'I will not be five!' She didn't care what her emotions were screaming at her. Her pride was going to win out this time. "I was okay. You didn't have to worry!" 'I can take care of myself!'

"Is that all?" Chad asked, a sternness coming back to his features.

"You'd better believe it, Chad," Raye said defiantly.

Chad took two quick steps over and, in two fluid motions, he sat down and pulled Raye across his lap before she could get away. The little girl immediately recognized what was about to occur but found herself held firmly in place. Her tears were already flowing and she was just about to protest when the hand of doom descended.

Bracing herself, Raye prepared to give vent to all of her frustrations but the first swat never landed. Instead, Chad picked her up placed her on the bed and started for the door.

"Aren't you going to spank me?" Raye finally questioned, watching him warily. 'Why am I asking that? It's not like I deserve it... I should count myself lucky.'

"No," Chad said through clenched teeth, "I won't, Raye. I'm too angry with you. I'm also very disappointed in you for taking off alone. I don't think spanking you will do anything but make me feel better." He had said this with his back to her. Turning around, she noticed that there was moisture in his eyes. "I don't know why you're acting so strangely, Raye. It's like you hate me or something!" Sighing, Chad walked to the door, "Stay in your room. Grandpa will come get you for meals." With that, he left. Poking his head back in the door, he added, "And we're going to be talking about these doors." Then he was gone, and Raye sniffled.

# # # # #

Later that night, after Raye had been put to bed early by her grandfather, she lay awake doing battle with her emotions. Chad hadn't spoken to her all day and staying in her room had made her feel very lonely. On the other hand, she tried to deny that the young acolyte cared about her or had been worried about her, or, even worse, that she cared about hurting him. As the minutes passed and her worry and frustration grew, a pain started to develop. After a little while, it had grown more intense. Curling up, she tried to relieve it but it just wouldn't go away.

She was about to get up and get something for her stomach when her door opened. Turning her head, she saw that it was Chad. She couldn't let him see that something was wrong. Turning away, she tried to straighten herself out but found that it was very uncomfortable.

"Raye?" Chad asked as he softly came into her room, "Is there something the matter?"

"No," Raye answered in a voice of false hostility.

She saw the young man walk around the bed. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"No," Raye said again. She grimaced a bit.

"Well then, why are you all curled up, dudette?" he said and forced a smile. He soon lost it when Raye didn't respond. "Are you okay, Pumpkin?" a note of worry coming into his voice.

"It hurts," Raye finally admitted. Some of her guilt was forcing her pride into a dark corner of her brain. Chad lifted the covers away and looked at Raye more seriously as he turned on the bedside lamp.

"Can you point to where it hurts?"

"My tummy..." she said again and tried to wrap her arms tighter.

"I know but can you point?" Chad insisted again. She didn't really understand the relevance but, being in no mood to argue, pointed to her tummy. She was slightly surprised when he gave a sigh of relief.

"Come on," Chad said lifting the child up and starting to head for the door. "Let's see if Grandpa has something for a tummy ache." As he moved, he started to rub Raye's back and oddly enough, she found this quite comforting.

Within a few minutes, Raye was back in her room, but this time being rocked in the rocking chair. Her Raggedy Anne doll snuggled close to her and she endured falling asleep while being rocked by Chad. She would normally protest such treatment but after today, strangely, it felt good; it felt proper.

And as Raye closed her eyes, she had another feeling: one that had long been absent, even in her normal childhood. It felt like home. And to Raye that was something very soothing.

# # # # #

**Part 13 "Relationships and Revelations"**

**T**hat same Saturday morning, after Raye had been taken home by Chad, Dr. Anderson turned a stern expression on her children. Sitting down, she took a sip of tea before speaking, "Girls, what Raye did today was wrong. It's very dangerous to go out by yourselves." She looked pointedly at Lita who had the common sense to blush. "I want you to promise that you'll ask me first if it's okay to go somewhere."

"We promise, Mommy!" both Lita and Amy responded in unison.

"Now, girls, I need to do some work around the house. Do you think you can play quietly 'til I'm done?"

"Yes Mommy," Lita squeaked. "We were playin' a game when Raye came to the window." She grunted slightly when her sister discretely poked her in the ribs. Mrs. Anderson gave Amy an odd look before smiling.

"Are you done with breakfast?" Both girls nodded. "Okay, you go play quietly, AFTER you both brush your teeth. Then maybe we'll go to the park this afternoon."

"'Kay Mom," Amy chirped and slid off her chair headed for the bathroom. Lita wasn't long in following her sister after grabbing one last slice of toast. The mother of two shook her head slightly before starting to clear the table. She would normally let the girls help but it was Saturday and she figured that she could do it faster by herself.

# # # # #

After the girls had brushed their teeth and were in their room, Lita turned to Amy, giggled, and asked, "So, Amy, why am I a genius?" It wasn't something she was akin to hearing.

Amy bit her lip and scrunched up her face in concentration. After a few seconds, Lita started to grow impatient; she was about to prompt Amy, when Amy said, "'Cause, Sis, you gave me a missing piece of the puzzle." Then her features took on a despondent look.

"Whatsa matter?" Lita asked. She'd never seen Amy look so serious before. Walking over to sit on the bed beside her sister, She nudged her. "You don't look so good, Sis."

"Well, Lita, to confirm my theory, I need to thoroughly examine Reenie's Key," Amy explained softly. "The question is how do we get it?"

"Hmm... Serena could ask Reenie to see it. S'pose not... Well... I don't think Serena would be up to taking Reenie's Key. Serena really isn't a thief and considering that Serena's been treated really nice..." she trailed off and shrugged.

"We might have to tell Reenie," Amy suggested heavily. "And I don't want that because it could irrevocably alter the timeline."

"But if we go back to being fourteen, won't the timeline already be affected?" Lita questioned. "Sis, I'm not up on my temporal mechanics or whatever you guys call it, but I don't think telling Reenie would hurt."

"But, Lita, what if it doesn't work?" Amy protested. She immediately took on a sheepish expression. "Sorry, it's just with Raye acting like this and then yesterday." She looked over at her ponytailed sister and questioned, "Was Mom really mad at you?"

Lita squirmed a little before nodding, "She said that she was proud of me for sticking up for you, Amy. Just that she didn't want me fighting." Lita sighed. "I guess I got off pretty easy really." She had always been active when she was a child but had never really gotten into fights. It wasn't until after her parents' deaths as a young teen that she began to get into such trouble. "Say, what did Mommy want to talk to you about?"

"Mom wanted to know if I was having trouble at school," Amy admitted. "I assume letting my academic performance drop suddenly like that was quite a shock." She saw Lita's quizzical look and, after an uncomfortable silence, she continued, "I guess I just didn't want the kids to tease me, Sis. I saw a way of changing things. I was just planning for the worst."

Lita didn't ask Amy to elaborate. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. "Anyway, Amy, how do we get a look at Reenie's Key?"

"Let me give it some thought," Amy answered. "We should start playing something before Mom thinks we're too quiet." 'I'm starting to feel antsy anyway.'

Lita grinned evilly. "**'KAY... TAG YOU'RE IT!**" she howled with glee and, after tagging her rather astonished sister, she took off out of the bedroom at a breakneck pace. Amy gave a growl of her own and started out after her. Today was going to be fun!

# # # # #

Mrs. Aino walked from the kitchen into the living room. Mina and Carrie were sitting in front of the television watching it with entranced fascination. Carrie had arrived shortly after ten and both young girls had been captivated by watching cartoons for almost an hour. Mina was surprised how much she enjoyed them. She had never been one for cartoons or comic books like Serena and Raye. Having her friend Carrie there only served to enhance the enjoyment.

"Girls, why don't you two go play now," Mrs. Aino suggested. "You've watched enough television for awhile."

"Aw! Please Mommy?" Mina pleaded turning to look pleadingly at her mother, "Just a little longer?" 'I want to see what happens next.'

"No," Mrs. Aino said, "You've been watching TV since you got up. Go along now and play." She grinned to herself. "It's nice and sunny outside. Either go play in the front yard or up in your room."

"Com'on Carrie," Mina grumbled, "Let's go find something to do in my room." Taking her friend's arm, she started to drag Carrie out of the living room and up the stairs.

Mina's mother shook her head and went back to reading the morning paper before starting her housework. She knew that Mina would stay in her bedroom and play quietly, at least for a little while, she hoped.

"Jeez, I wanted to watch those guys," Mina confessed as she went up the stairs. 'I never knew cartoons had cute guys like that...' Carrie who was behind her frowned slightly.

"What guys, Mina?"

"You know, the hunky ones on TV with the..." Mina trailed off at the odd look that the little girl was giving her. "What?"

"Why would you want to sit and watch guys? Boys can be so... so GROSS!"

Artemis who was in the room gave a disgusted growl and flicked his tail at Carrie. She giggled, reached out to pet him, and commented, "Don't worry, kitty. You're not a boy!" Artemis let out a mew.

"He's not?" Mina asked. 'That's news to me!' She giggled, 'I bet it's a shock to Artemis too!'

"Silly, Artemis isn't a boy, Mina," Carrie explained quite logically, her tone showing exasperation, "Artemis is a kitty."

"Uh... yeah."

"So what should we play?"

Mina tapped her lower lip for a few moments before saying, "Carrie, how would you like to be a rock star?" Carrie's expression turned dubious. "Just think, lotsa fans... you can do whatever you want!" Mina's voice started to rise, "You don't have to listen to your parents."

"Really?" Carrie asked. "You mean rock stars don't have to listen to their parents?"

"Nope, they get to do whatever they want, eat what they want, and go to bed when they want!" Mina grinned; she was forming an idea. Carrie nodded excitedly. "'Kay, first thing to do... Gotta get ready for a show we're doing." Wrapping her arm around her friend, she said, "First we take care of our clothes... then make-up, and then hair!" With that, she dragged her friend out of the room.

'Oh brother... At least Mina isn't into country,' Artemis thought rolling his eyes, 'I don't think I could stand a hoedown.'

# # # # #

A few minutes later, Carrie gave Mina a dubious look. "Ah Mina, why are you wearing that funny hat?"

"I like it," Mina responded, "'Sides, Carrie, I need something to hide my eyes." Carrie rolled her eyes. Mina was always making out to be some cool star or something. Sometimes it was neat, other times it was worse than sitting next to a boy!

"But what do we play the music on, Mina?" the girl wondered. "I mean we don't have inst-insta-err... you know the thingies with strings."

"Carrie, Carrie, Carrie..." Mina said while shaking her head, "Have you lost all faith in me, babe?" Mina dug around her room and came up with a children's plastic cassette player.

"Mina... what's '_faith_' mean?" She'd never heard Mina use that word before.

"I never fib," Mina said. That got a double eye roll from Carrie. Mina might be honest generally, but if it meant getting out of trouble, she wasn't above bending the truth to meet her needs.

"Uh Mina, I don't think that'll work," Carrie stated after a few moments of examining the device. She was about to add more when her friend cut her off.

"You're right. It ain't big enough," Mina agreed. Tossing it aside, she left her room and quietly headed downstairs. "We need something with a lot of power!" Her eyes twinkled as her gaze fell upon the entertainment system in the living room. "Come on!" Mina whispered out and then snuck across the kitchen doorway into the living room.

"Mina... Won't your mommy be mad?" Carrie asked hesitantly.

"Nah," the perky blonde replied softly, "We're just going to play some music. Not like watchin' TV." Softly, she padded across the living room. "We have to be quiet or our fans will find out."

"You mean we have to sneak in here OR your _mommy_ will find out," Carrie hissed. "Let's just go play somethin' else. Outside like your mommy said." She had no intention of getting caught up in one of Mina's crazy schemes again. The "flying toaster" idea hadn't gone over very well.

"Aw come on, Care-Care," Mina said patronizingly. "We're just going to have a little harmless fun."

The pigtailed brunette sighed. 'Harmless? Mina's using big words again.' Not that Carrie minded but they were supposed to be playing.

Carrie seemed reluctant so Mina said, "I'll tell you what. We'll sing two songs, and then I'll see if the others can come over and play with us."

"Well... I guess so," Carrie agreed. She didn't really want to ruin her best friend's fun and she seemed to be willing to compromise.

"Good!" Mina declared happily. Quickly selecting a CD to insert, she examined the controls for a moment before managing to put the CD into the tray properly. "Now to give it the right feel," Mina muttered to herself. She adjusted the equalizer to maximize the bass and, in addition, Mina cranked the volume to what she, as a teenager, considered an acceptable level. "Ready?" Carrie nodded. "Good." Reaching out, Mina pushed the play button, but nothing happened. She blinked and pushed the play button again. "What the..." Pushing the eject button, she looked at the CD quizzically for a moment before replacing it. Pressing the play button again, nothing happened. "It's broke," she remarked crestfallen.

"Mina, how do you know how it works?" the brown-haired girl asked quizzically.

"Uh... I watched Daddy play music a lot." 'Amy'd be proud of me.'

"Where's your daddy?"

"Dunno," Mina answered, "I think he's doin' somethin' to the car." She looked over the stereo's controls. Sheepishly, Mina looked up and discovered the problem. Turning the source selection knob so that it was set to "CD player", she reached out and pushed the play button once again.

There was silence for a moment, and then the still morning air was shattered by the loud throbbing boom of the music as one of the heavier metal bands started warming up into the first song. The ruckus grew even louder as the lead vocalist started to sing.

"**IT'S TOO LOUD!**" Mina cried. Trying to turn it down, she desperately started turning the volume control. However, she only managed to make it play even louder before the knob popped off in her hand. "Uh oh!"

"Uh Mina, I think my mommy's calling me," Carrie decided and started to back out of the room. She was just about to the doorway when she turned and ran right into Mrs. Aino and a none too pleased looking Mr. Aino as well.

"MINA!" both her parents shouted over the din.

"**OH NO!**" Mina yelled horrified. Desperately, she started pushing buttons. The music suddenly cut off and the tray started to slide out. All that was left was a hum. Mina was about to smile but the CD in the tray shot out and went flying through the window across the room. "Oops!" 'At least, it couldn't get any worse,' Mina thought. That's when the speakers started to vibrate, their motion easily visible. "**It's gonna blow!**" Mina cried and, running, she jumped on and then over the couch.

Then it was suddenly quiet. Peeking over the sofa by standing on her tiptoes, Mina saw her father standing by the wall, the stereo's plug in hand. He had an angry look on his face. Sheepishly, she looked over towards her mother. Her mother was splitting her looks between Carrie and Mina.

"Mina, what on earth do you think you were doing?" she finally managed to ask.

"Ah... playing rock stars?" Mina meekly squeaked out, her parents just glared at her."Uh... Want an autograph, Mommy?" She winced at her mother's scowl. 'Wrong thing to say.'

# # # # #

Ten minutes later found Carrie standing in one corner of the Aino kitchen. Carrie stifled a sigh. 'Why do I always fall for Mina's tricks?' She hated staring at the wall; it wasn't much fun to look at. One consolation was she got to listen to her best friend being scolded. 'And I thought havin' Mommy yell at me was bad.' Mina's father was doing most of the scolding and he had a manner of NOT yelling. It sent shivers up Carrie's spine. If he was THAT mad and wasn't yelling, she fervently hoped she was never around to get him mad enough to yell.

Another consoling fact was that her mother had been there for almost five whole minutes and the fatal words, "_She'll be punished,_" hadn't been said. 'Not like I'm not in trouble though,' Carrie thought. Mrs. Aino had called the little girl's mother and Carrie's mother had said she would be right over, which confused her. 'Why'd Mommy come over here?' She desperately hoped her mother would understand and standing in Mrs. Aino's corner was all that would happen to her.

Up in Mina's bedroom, Mina was also in a corner. She was sent there after her father had scolded her for playing with the stereo. A stereo, he emphasized, that was off-limits to her!

'Can't move, can't move, can't move... I wanna go play!' This had been Mina's silent chant for the past five minutes. She really wanted to go play, and apologize to Carrie, but the consequences of moving from the corner without permission had been made absolutely clear. She had all this energy and now no way to dissipate it.

Artemis sat smugly on the bed watching his young charge. He wasn't one to be malicious in his humor but Mina's power to destroy anything electrical had finally landed her in hot water. "You know Mina, you shouldn't play with stuff that you aren't allowed to use," he remarked dryly. This earned him a glare from Mina who poked her tongue out at him before turning her head back towards the corner. Artemis chuckled softly. This was going to be fun.

'Can't move, can't move, can't move... I wanna go play!' Mina suppressed a whine, 'What a way to spend a Saturday!'

# # # # #

At two o'clock that afternoon, the Tsukino home was quiet. Luna and Serena were taking naps in Serena's room. Reenie was doing homework downstairs with her aunt so she wouldn't disturb her little sister.

Luna had had a hectic day especially when she tried to keep up with Serena and Reenie. Both little girls seemed to have boundless energy. Luna seemed to have a lot of energy as well. She just expended more because of her size. However, Luna was always the lighter of the two sleepers and a gentle beeping noise roused her. Looking around, she saw that Serena's communicator was making the noise. Padding over softly, she turned it on and found Amy's face looking at her.

"Luna?" Amy asked surprised, "Where's Serena?"

"Taking her nap," Luna said softly, "What is it, Amy?"

"I've found out something important," the blue-haired girl explained after a pause. "Luna, we need Serena to get Reenie's Key."

"I think that would be hard without telling her," Luna mused. "Reenie keeps that key pretty close to her."

"I know," Amy agreed while taking on an uncomfortable look, "Luna, I think we need to tell Reenie. The Key could well... be THE '_key_' to solving our problem."

"I'll tell Serena then," Luna decided. "But we probably won't be able to get it to you until tomorrow. Serena's parents are going out tonight and leaving a baby-sitter."

"That's okay, Luna," Amy said with a knowing smile, "After what happened to Raye this morning, I think I'll be content to wait. I wouldn't want Serena or Reenie to get into trouble." 'Or me either for that matter.'

"What happened to Raye?" Luna demanded.

"Uh... gotta go. Mom's coming, bye!" And with that, the communicator fell silent leaving Luna to stare at it for several seconds. 'What on earth happened to Raye?' she wondered. 'Well I'll slip over later on and see.' With that, the black kitten settled back down to wait for her charge to wake up.

# # # # #

That evening after supper, Serena was very pleased to see that her baby-sitter for the evening was going to be Molly Baker. The older girl was still fourteen. Nothing seemed to have changed about her except she seemed a lot taller. Sammy was staying over at a friend's house. He had refused to stay with two little girls and be baby-sat. So it was only Reenie, Serena, and Molly who were left in the house.

"Let's play!" Serena practically shouted. Reenie was ready to indulge her sister but never got the chance.

"Sorry Serena," the redhead stepped in. "Your mommy left strict instructions." She smiled internally as Serena's face fell. 'She's so cute!' "First, we get your bath."

"**But it ain't bedtime!**" Serena whined, "Please Molly? I don't wanna go bed now!"

"Now Serena," Molly explained. "I'm not going to make you go to bed yet. Your mommy got us a movie to watch. You just gotta take a bath and get your pajamas on is all."

"Can we have popcorn?" Her stomach growled slightly as if to emphasize the request.

"No, but your mommy did leave us some snacks," Serena's oldest friend supplied. "Now, Serena, you go upstairs and I'll be up in a minute."

"'Kay," the child chirped and then skipped up the stairs towards her bedroom.

# # # # #

When Serena was in her room alone, Luna said, "Serena, Amy called."

"Yeah?" Serena said, pausing momentarily in her undressing, "What'd she want, Luna?"

"She wanted me to tell you that we need to have a look at Reenie's Key." Luna explained, "She thinks that it might help her find a solution. You're probably going to have to tell Reenie about us."

Serena smiled broadly. "Wicked cool!" she declared, "I was going to tell Reenie anyways."

"What?" Luna asked in a semi-shocked tone.

"Well, she's treats me really really nice and I'm feelin' a little guilty for the way I treat MY Reenie." Serena struggled into her bathrobe. "See Reenie defends me and even got spanked 'cause of me. I want to make that up to her."

"Serena, are ya ready?" the voice of Molly coming down the hall cut the rest of the conversation short. The teen opened the door and smiled. "Good girl!" she complimented, "You got all undressed by yourself."

"Yep!" Serena squeaked happily.

"Well then, Serena, let's go get your bath," Molly indicated. "Then we can watch the movie." Happily, Serena complied and, taking Molly's hand, was guided into the bathroom.

Once Molly had helped Serena wash in the stall, she helped the girl into the furo. Serena slid into the warm water and gave a giggle of delight. "Now Serena, I'll be right back," Molly informed her, "I'll go get Reenie."

"'Kay!" Serena squeaked and gave another giggle.

Molly left the room and went down the stairs. Looking around, she saw Reenie sitting on the couch. "Reenie, come take your bath with Serena."

Reenie, wishing to uphold her image, scowled. "Aw Molly... I'm seven. I don't wanna take a bath with a little kid. I'll take one after Serena's done." 'I hope Molly doesn't tell Serena that... I'd feel really bad for hurting Serena's feelings.'

"Reenie, I thought ya liked Serena. You were going to play with her before," Molly commented. "In fact, you were playing a game with her when I got here."

Reenie grumbled out, "Okay, okay... I'll come have my bath." She reluctantly got off the couch and started to plod towards the teen.

"You can drop the act," Molly remarked. She couldn't hide her smile. "Reenie, you really like Serena, and I think taking a bath with her won't really bother you." Turning, Molly went up the stairs to check on Serena.

Giving a sheepish grin, Reenie went up the stairs behind the redhead. 'Was I THAT obvious?' Not that she minded but she DID have an image to maintain. If it got around that she was actually NICE to a little kid, then it would ruin her completely.

# # # # #

Reenie was annoyed, and she tried to make that clear to Molly without being rude. The problem was simple: Molly kept occasionally popping into the bathroom to check on them. 'Aunt Ellen lets me say when we should get out.' It was rather frustrating to say the least. As Reenie saw it, this girl was usurping her authority over Serena and she didn't care for the competition either.

Serena, however, was rather unaware of the whole situation. She was in a state of deep thought; Luna wouldn't've believed it. 'If I tell Reenie who I am, will she be angry with me? I don't want that.' She had grown very attached to the little girl and Serena needed her support at the moment; Darien certainly wasn't giving his. 'I don't want her to hate me... And what about MY Reenie. I lied to her.'

As Serena did internal battle with herself, Reenie noticed that Serena was just sitting in the furo, unconsciously moving the water. 'Why isn't Serena playing?' She noticed that the little girl had a rather serious expression on her face. 'She's worried about something.' Reaching out and tapping her on the shoulder, which caused her to jump, Reenie said, "Serena, are you in trouble?"

"Huh?" Serena asked letting her worries pass for the moment.

"Did you do something bad and then cover it up?"

"No, Reenie," Serena answered somewhat confused, "Why?"

"Well, why aren't you playing then?" 'Something must be wrong.'

"I guess I don't feel like it, Reenie," Serena said weakly.

Reenie was about to ask why when Molly came into the room. "Okay Serena, Reenie, time to get out and dry off. We gotta get ya into some PJs so we can watch the movie."

Serena complied and stood, Molly lifted her up and started to dry her off. Grumbling under her breath at the eighth-grader, Reenie also got up and started to dry off. Once Molly was finished drying Serena off, Reenie snapped, "I can get her changed," and taking Serena's hand, she led her into their bedroom. Molly looked confused for a moment and then grinned. She had just realized something. Reenie really cared for Serena, and that made her happy.

# # # # #

The movie was passable. Reenie wasn't really interested in it, mainly because it was geared more towards Serena's age. She watched though and kept her comments to herself. Not that she didn't like the movie. The story WAS funny in parts... just there seemed an over abundance of CUTE characters running around saying things like, "_Golly_" and, "_Ohmigosh!_" whenever anything "_terrible_" happened. It was enough to make your teeth ache, at least in Reenie's opinion. She was glad her friends didn't see her watch it.

Serena was captivated by another matter. Sure, the show was entertaining but Serena had already seen the movie seven times. She could quote every line, word for word, of the major characters. About halfway through the show, she finally resolved that she would tell Reenie everything, or almost everything, and hope for the best. That's when she noticed Molly wasn't really paying attention to the show.

Molly appeared to be off in a different world. Her eyes were watching the television but she didn't react to anything in the movie. Turning her head slightly, Serena asked, "Molly, is somethin' wrong?"

"Huh?" the teen said dazed, "Is the movie over?"

"No," Reenie snapped. She crossed her arms and took on a bored expression, "Molly, can we PLEASE go play?"

"But the movie isn't over with," Molly pointed out. "Serena would miss the ending."

"That's okay, Moll. I've already seen this one seven times." That got an odd look from both Reenie and Molly. "'Sides, I wanted to know what the matter was."

"What the matter was?" Molly asked slowly looking intently at her five year old charge.

"Yeah, Moll, you weren't paying attention to the movie," Serena explained. "You looked like you were considering something else."

Molly sat stunned into position for several seconds. Reenie was staring at Serena incredulously, eyes wide, eyebrows to her hairline. 'I've never heard Serena talk like that before!' It was a little disconcerting, 'Where'd Serena learn how to use those big words?'

"Uh well..." Molly replied not really sure what to say, "I uh..." She trailed off and looked at Serena again. "It's nothin'," she said, then admitted, "I was just wonderin' how to tell somebody something."

Serena considered her longtime friend's answer, ''_Tell somebody something_'? Okay... Let's see who would Molly know... Her mom? Nah, Molly's pretty open with her mom. Me? Nope...' She tapped her lower lip for a few moments and then an idea struck her. "**MELVIN!**" Serena shouted.

"A what?" Reenie asked. 'Maybe one of those bad people took over Serena.' Reenie immediately shook the idea off. It was silly but she was becoming very ill at ease by Serena's actions.

"How'd you know about Melvin, Serena?" Molly asked in a shocked voice after several seconds. 'I never talked about him in front of you.'

Turning to Reenie who was sitting on her left, Serena explained, "You see, Reenie, Melvin Butlers was/is Molly's boyfriend."

"Eewww!" Reenie began, then it hit her, "Wait a minute! How'd you know that he's her boyfriend?"

"He's not," Molly tried to deny. She was beginning to blush profusely. "At least not yet..."

"Ah ha!" Serena chirped turning back to the teen. "You're too scared to tell Melvin how you feel about him, right Moll?" She regarded Molly who had taken on a panicked expression. "I knew it! You better go after him before somebody else gets a hold of him." 'But who would ever WANT to date Melvin besides Molly?'

Molly's eyes grew wide. How on earth did Serena understand that she was actually in love with Melvin? It confused her but the little girl seemed to understand her feelings perfectly. It was rather distressing, even the part about somebody else getting Melvin. Even if she couldn't picture anybody else wanting him.

"Serena?" Reenie asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?" 'And why's she calling her Moll?'

"**Reenie, Molly's majorly in love with Melvin!**" Serena explained, "And Melvin's got the hots for Molly." This just caused Molly to blush again. "But he's too scared to tell her how he feels and vice versa." She rubbed her hands and turned to the redhead. "You gotta go for it, girl!"

Molly whimpered and then promptly fainted. She was overwhelmed. She knew that Serena could be intuitive at times from her past baby-sitting jobs but this was just too much for her to handle.

# # # # #

Serena had soon realized her blunder and, when Molly regained consciousness, she asked the eight-grader if she had had a good nap. The redheaded teen at first asked how Serena could talk so well. Serena played innocent and said she hadn't been talking. She'd simply watched the movie and it was over. Reenie was too shocked, and unwilling, to say anything so she had remained silent.

Molly decided to put the entire incident up to a really weird dream and, seeing that it was after seven, hustled Serena off to bed. Reenie said she was going to go to bed as well. This got Molly's interest up but she didn't push the matter; she had things to think about.

# # # # #

Once the lights were off and Molly was out of earshot, Reenie turned over to Serena and in a stern voice hissed out, "Serena, I wanna know who you really are!" 'I want my little sister back!'

Serena slid out of bed and stood beside the bed. "Okay Reenie, I'll tell you..." The little girl took a deep breath and announced with a slight tremor, "**I'm Serena Tsukino, and I'm fourteen years old.**"

# # # # #

**Part 14 "The Great Debate"**

**R**eenie snickered for a moment then said seriously, "Come on Serena, don't joke. I wanna know how come you can talk so good and understand stuff."

"Reenie, I'm telling the truth." Serena repeated, "I'm fourteen."

"Serena, I know you've pretended to be big before but you're only five."

"I'm fourteen and I'm also Sailor Moon," Serena confessed softly.

"That's not funny!" Reenie said, "Now quit foolin' around!" 'She knows I need to find Sailor Moon.' She could feel herself starting to get angry. Taking a few deep breaths, she looked at Serena sternly hoping to see her smiling.

"MOON..."

"Serena..."

"...CRYSTAL..."

"What are you..."

"POWER!" And in a brilliant explosion of light, Serena vanished and Sailor Moon stood before her. Reenie stared at the young Sailor Scout for several seconds before climbing out of bed.

Luna sighed, covered her head with her paws, and muttered under her breath, "Way to go, Meatball Head."

"It's true," Reenie whispered out. "You're Sailor Moon. That means you always had the Silver Crystal."

"Yes," Serena admitted once she had transformed back. "I'm sorry, Reenie. I didn't want to keep it a secret but I had to."

"Why?" Reenie's features took on a hurt and angry expression, "Serena, you knew my mommy needs the Silver Crystal. Don't you wanna help her?" A tear rolled down her face. "Don't you wanna help me save my mommy?"

"Oh Reenie," Serena began with a sad note in her voice, "I would help you. I'ld give you the Silver Crystal but I need it. Tokyo needs it."

"Why?" she demanded, her voice turning thick and cracking, "I came to get it. Mommy's in trouble and I need to save her." She sniffled and wiped a few tears away. "Serena, don't you want me to have a mommy?"

"Of course I do!" Serena reassured her sister. She moved to give Reenie a hug but the girl backed away. "Reenie, I want your mommy to be safe. Please believe me."

"Then give me the Imperium Silver Crystal. Please."

Serena paused for a long time before sadly shaking her head, "I'm sorry, Reenie. I can't." Reenie turned her back and clenched her fists. "Rubeus is still here, honey, and the city is still in danger. We have to protect all those people. When Rubeus is taken care of, I promise I'll go and help your mommy." Reenie only sniffled. Walking up behind her, Serena tried to hug the older girl while saying, "Please Reenie, I need you and, if you push me away, I don't know what I'll do." Serena had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You promise to help my mommy?"

"Yes. Isn't that what BIG sisters do?"

"But you kept a secret from me," Reenie countered without looking around, "I told you some of my secrets. I think you're just saying that so I'll help you." The older girl turned, tears in her eyes and a few rolling down her cheeks. "How do I know you're not just fibbin'?"

"Reenie, I would've told you. I really would've but..." Serena trailed off for a moment before saying, "Reenie, the Serena that was here before me. The one that wasn't fourteen, she had to keep it secret because Luna wanted her to." She sent a pleading look at the pink-haired child. "I kept it secret because I've never had anyone I could trust with it." She grasped Reenie's hand and pleaded, "Reenie, believe me. I wouldn't simply say that I wanted your support just because we need your help." Reenie pulled out of Serena's hand and turned her back again. "Reenie, I care about you. I don't know how to explain it any plainer than that. I just know that I need a big sister and you're the best."

The older girl remained silent for a long time before turning around. She still had tears in her eyes but the hurt wasn't as intense. "Okay Serena, I believe you." She sniffled a little and then said, "So you're fourteen?" 'That's why she wanted to go to Crossroads...'

"Yeah, you see me and the other girls were fighting Prisma and something happened and we got turned into five year olds," Serena explained. "Reenie, we need to see your key. Amy thinks that it might help find a solution to getting us back to being fourteen."

The hurt look returned. "You don't like being around me?"

"I do!" Serena said. 'Serena, you're an idiot!' "Reenie, you are one of the greatest people I know. I really had fun with you, I liked being your little sister, and I would still miss you... It's just that..." Serena trailed off looking pleadingly at her. "I would never run out on you. Never. There's a Reenie in my timeline too, and if I don't get back to fourteen, then I can't help her."

"I guess the Reenie in your t-timeline will miss you a lot if you don't go back. She's probably lonely without her big sister," Reenie assumed after a few seconds of thought.

Serena flushed and looked at the floor. "Um... Well yeah. I suppose."

"Serena?" Reenie asked questioningly. 'I know that look.'

"Well you see, your other self and I... uh... we really don't get along." Serena flushed brightly. "I remember the first day you came. You were looking for the Silver Crystal and put a sleeping potion in the girls' tea." She looked up to find Reenie again staring at her. "I didn't drink the tea so when I found that you had put it there... I... uh well..." The pigtailed blonde blushed again and stared at the ground.

"What?" Reenie asked. She couldn't picture doing anything malicious against any of Serena's little friends... even Raye.

"Well, I was so frustrated because you had my family convinced that you were my cousin and you shot me with a dart gun that when I saw the girls asleep and found out you did it... I well... spanked you."

Reenie giggled. It started off softly as a small snicker but as she tried desperately to hold her laughter in, it built until it came out as a peal of laughter. Serena was about to ask what was so funny when her door opened.

"Girls, what are you two doing up?" Molly sounded a little irritated.

"Nothing," both girls said.

"Uhuh... well go to bed. Your parents will be back soon. If you're asleep, I might not tell them," the teen said sternly. Scrambling, Reenie crawled into bed and was quickly followed by Serena. Once settled, Molly shut the door again and the room was quiet for several minutes.

As they lay there, Serena could hear Reenie grumbling to herself. At first, she thought that Reenie was still mad at her but then she caught Molly's name. 'Reenie thinks that Molly'll take over!' she finally realized. Turning so she could face Reenie, she told her, "Reenie, YOU are my big sister and Molly could never be that." Reenie turned her head and gazed at Serena for several seconds before giving a small smile.

Just as she was dozing off, Serena asked, "Reenie, what was so funny before?"

"I was just trying to think of you, Serena, the way you are now, spanking me and it was pretty funny," Reenie explained and snickered again. "Goodnight, Little Sister."

"'Night, Big Sister," Serena called and, snuggling up to Reenie, quickly slipped into sleep. Reenie wasn't far behind and it was with a smile but a heavy heart that she also slipped into slumber, a tentative arm around her little sister.

# # # # #

Sunday morning was slightly overcast. As a meager early morning sun tried to break through the clouds, Chad softly walked down the hall and stopped at Raye's room. Softly opening the door, he blinked when he saw that her pajamas were lying on her bed and that her clothes were gone.

Scratching his head, Chad started to hunt for the little girl. 'Dude, I hope she didn't pull a stunt like she pulled yesterday. That would be like... totally uncool!' His fears were alleviated when he spotted the little girl sitting on the steps to the main building, her coat wrapped around her. Pulling on his own, he quietly walked over towards her.

As he approached, he could see that the child looked miserable. 'I wonder what's wrong?' Walking over to the steps, he looked at her. She didn't seem to notice him. Sitting down on a lower step, so he was at eye level with her, he asked, "Raye, what are you doing out here?"

There was silence for several seconds before she spoke, "Chad, why don't I have a daddy?" Chad opened his mouth but nothing came out. "I mean, was I bad? Doesn't he love me?" 'In either reality.'

"Raye," Chad said softly, "Your daddy left you with your grandfather."

"But why? I mean Serena has a daddy. Mina has one. Amy and Lita have one of sorts!" A tear ran down her cheek. "Why doesn't he love me?"

"I don't know, Raye," Chad retorted honestly. 'I'd like an answer to that question myself.' "I do know that your grandfather and I care about you very much." He brushed away another tear from her cheek and continued, "When I first got here, I was going to leave. I figured that I came to find peace... not to raise a kid." Chad laid a hand on her arm. "Then I saw a little girl who was very sweet and a person I would like to know. I've grown to think of you as my little sister, Raye. I won't leave you, and I promise that."

He was expecting her to yell, or to say that she didn't understand. What he wasn't expecting her to do was to reach forward and hug him. He reached up and hugged her back, "Come on inside, Pumpkin, and I'll get you some breakfast."

Picking her up, he carried her towards the living area. As they walked, Raye had her head nestled on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and a faint smile was on her face. "Chad?"

"Yeah?"

"I like you as my big brother." And she did, something felt right about this. And when Chad hugged her, she felt a little safer, a little stronger and wanted, because they cared about her.

# # # # #

Sunday morning presented its own problems to Reenie. She was trying to reconcile Serena being fourteen but in a five year old body. It had started innocently enough. They woke up and, as usual, Reenie started to help Serena dress. Midway through the process though, Reenie realized that Serena didn't really need any help, especially hers. She was the little girl, not Serena. Sadly, she let Serena finish on her own. The problem seemed to mount when it came to helping Serena in the bathroom. Reenie saw a five year old. Someone that needed help brushing her teeth and doing other necessary things. She wanted to help this Serena like she had helped the five year old one before. Now, however, she was haunted by the fact that Serena was fourteen and it was causing Reenie no small amount of distress.

Reenie was distressed because Serena had kept that secret, only ACTING like a five year old. She was also distressed because she felt that she was losing someone that she loved. Flitting around the edges of her conscious mind was the confusion over her other self. Serena had said that they hadn't gotten along and, judging by what Serena had told her, Reenie's other self was a little brat. 'That Reenie must act like Raye does...'

Reenie was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice eating breakfast. She vaguely recalled helping her aunt do the dishes and watching some television with Serena but most of the early morning passed by in a blur.

# # # # #

"Reenie!" Serena called, exasperation showing in her voice.

"Huh?" Reenie said startled out of her own thoughts.

Serena gave a sigh of long suffering and glared at Reenie for several seconds before saying, "Let's go ask Mommy if we can go over to Amy's." She regarded Reenie. "Is anything wrong, Big Sister?"

"Uh... no, Serena," Reenie sighed, "Come on. Let's go ask Aunt Ellen if we can go then." With that, she left the room. Serena briefly took on a worried expression when Reenie didn't take her hand. Giving a shrug, Serena quickly followed the seven year old out of their room and down the stairs.

# # # # #

"Make sure to take care of Serena for me, Reenie," Ellen instructed and winked. 'Something's bothering Reenie. Maybe her walking Serena to the Anderson's will help.'

"Okay, Aunt Ellen."

Mrs. Tsukino gave each girl a hug. "Now you girls be good," Ellen told them, "I'll see you after lunch."

"'Kay Mommy!" Serena called.

Reenie took Serena's hand and started to leave the Tsukino yard. Once down the street, however, she let go. Serena looked at Reenie again but this time in curiosity.

"Don't you wanna hold my hand, Reenie?" Serena wondered. 'I sorta like it.'

"Serena," Reenie said after a pause, "You don't need me to guide you around. You're a big girl. You're fourteen. You don't need a big sister anymore." In Reenie's eyes was the sad fact of what this meant to her.

Reaching out, she pulled Reenie's arm and they stopped and stood silently on the sidewalk for a moment. "Reenie," Serena explained softly, "You _are_ my _big_ sister until I go." She saw Reenie's eyes start to mist over. "Reenie, you helped me when Darien pushed me away and I needed that. You were both a true big sister and a true friend." She looked at the ground. "This might not even work. Amy doesn't have a solution yet. We may be stuck this way." Stepping forward, she hugged the older girl and said, "Reenie, I need you as my big sister as long as I'm here." Reenie hugged Serena and sniffled.

Serena sniffled back. "I just thought that you wanted to be fourteen," Reenie confessed softly. "You were really happy about maybe Amy finding a solution..."

"Darien doesn't love me even when I'm fourteen, Reenie," Serena admitted. She winced and Reenie hugged her again. "And I don't get along with you very well. I've tried but... I don't know." She looked up towards her big sister. "I wanna chance to make up with my Reenie. To become a great big sister, like you are."

Reenie smiled and let the hug go. Taking Serena's hand, they started walking down the street again. As the moments passed, Reenie commented, "Serena, you said in the other timeline that you spanked me that first day." She giggled; it sounded so funny to her, "Was that the only time?" 'I can't believe that I was ever mean to Serena.'

Serena giggled herself and then sobered. "No," she said softly, "One time, I was asleep and you came in looking for the Silver Crystal." She regarded the older girl and continued, "You thought I had it on me so you started to tickle me." Serena lowered her head and sniffled.

"What's the matter, Serena?" Reenie asked, concern showing in her voice.

"Oh Reenie, I was just so mean to you." Seeing the confused look, Serena amended, "I mean the other you, in the different timeline." She felt Reenie give her hand a little squeeze. "I mean you just tickled me... I shouldn't have got that angry."

"It's okay, Serena," Reenie said consolingly, "When you get back you can say you're sorry to the other me. She'll understand." 'But I don't want you to leave,' Reenie thought, 'I don't want you to go away. I love you.' However, Reenie knew she was being selfish. It's just that she didn't care.

After a little bit, Serena wondered, "Reenie, how come you know about timelines and junk?"

"Puu told me," Reenie quipped.

"Puu? Who's Puu?"

"Just someone who helped me come here," Reenie said cautiously. "Puu couldn't come with me so I had to come to the past by myself." Serena sensed that it was a sensitive issue with the girl so she didn't pursue it any further.

# # # # #

Amy yawned. She heard Lita gently snoring to her right. It was well past their bedtime. She was patiently waiting for her minicomputer to finish analyzing the data it had gathered from scanning Reenie's Time Key. Reenie had tried to answer Amy's questions but there was something stopping her whether it was because she didn't understand the questions or she didn't want to answer.

Yawning again, Amy shook her head. She really wanted to go to sleep. That pillow looked so inviting; the covers looked warm and Lita, her sister, was sound asleep, probably dreaming. 'I'll give it five more minutes,' Amy thought. She felt very impatient but there was nothing she could do to speed the process up.

As each second ticked away, it grated on her nerves a little bit. She tried to distract herself but it was no use. She was about to give up for the evening when her computer gave a soft beeping sound and then fell silent.

"It's done!" Amy breathed with a sigh of relief.

"Mmmm?" Lita asked while rolling over. Amy waited until her sister had settled back into sleep before grabbing up her computer eagerly and studying the results.

As she fitted the resulting pieces together, she started to see the larger picture; that picture, however, wasn't looking very good. She gave a sigh. This time, Lita opened an eye and gave her sister a bleary-eyed glare.

"Sis, do you know how annoying it is to be woken up?" Lita grumbled out. Then she noticed Amy's face, "What's the matter, Amy?"

"I found a solution," Amy admitted softly, almost reluctantly.

"Really?" Lita squeaked and then promptly covered her mouth. They sat in the darkness for several seconds listening for their mother. After a short pause, Lita said in a softer voice, "That's great!"

"It's dangerous, Lita," Amy remarked. "The reading I got from the Time Key show that it has a temporal distortion field around it. This keeps it in a state of quantum flux."

"Huh?"

"The Key is tuned to a specific time, Lita," Amy explained, "It won't work properly unless the specific time has been reached." She shook her head. "We were lucky that it just turned us into five year olds."

"We're lucky?" the brown-haired girl asked. She could feel the pit of her stomach start to sink. "What could have happened?"

"One possibility, we could have ended up almost any other age, older or younger. Five years old is good considering we could have been sixty-five, or infants, or still in our mothers' wombs. There is even a worse possibility."

"Worse than being born again?"

"Yes. We could have been plucked permanently out of space-time. We would have never really existed." Amy shuddered at that. "Our atoms could have been scattered throughout space-time."

Lita shivered. "But, Sis, we went through it okay. All we have to do is get Prisma to blast it again, right?"

"Your Jupiter Thunder would work as well," the genius girl supplied. "In fact, it would be a lot safer..._if_ we tried this in a controlled situation. Even then, there would still be significant risk." Amy stored the information and shut her computer off.

"I think we should do it, Amy," Lita remarked. "I mean being five is okay for a while, but I'm fourteen!" Amy didn't respond. She simply slid under the covers and closed her eyes. Sliding back down to sleep, Lita lay awake. 'But I'm all alone when I'm fourteen,' she realized. 'Kami, think Lita, you have a mother who loves you. A sister... even a father who visits.' She paused and whispered softly, "I don't wanna go back."

"Lita?" came Amy's soft reply.

"I was thinking, Sis. I don't wanna to go back," Lita stated again. "I wanna stay like this. I have a family now."

Amy didn't say anything for a moment before saying, "I don't wanna go back either, Sis." She turned her head to regard her sister. "I want to be accepted, not an outcast. I can slowly lower my grade; you could bring yours up too. It'll be different this time. Besides, I like having a sister."

"What about the others though?"

"Serena likes being five," Amy reasoned. "She enjoys having Reenie as a big sister and she's happy to make her parents proud of her."

"I don't know about Mina..." Lita paused, "I mean she likes some things about being five like Carrie's friendship, but I think she'd want to go back. She wants to be able to chase boys and to play sports like she used to."

"We both know Raye doesn't wanna stay five."

"But you said it could change our ages again or even kill us," Lita pointed out. "Amy, isn't there another solution?" Amy gave a shrug the best she could. "We have all the time in the world. You could look for another solution and we could stay like this. The girls never have to know about this in the meantime."

Amy lay quietly thinking, "No." She finally decided, "We have to tell the others. If we keep this to ourselves, then we're being selfish." Amy sighed, "We need to tell Serena. She's the Princess so we'll let her decide." Now Lita had a lot of faith in her friend Serena. Nevertheless, letting the often-ditzy blonde decide their fate was even disquieting to her.

"Goodnight, Amy."

"Goodnight, Lita."

And finally, sleep took both little girls, and they dreamt. They dreamt they were fourteen again, and being five had all been a dream.

# # # # #

Tuesday afternoon found all of the girls, including Reenie, along with Luna and Artemis in Serena's room. They were supposed to be playing while Ellen and Chad remained downstairs. What was really occurring was an impromptu Scout meeting. Amy had spent the first five minutes outlining the possible solution and its risks. Raye had a neutral expression on her face. Mina and Serena looked bored and Reenie looked rather pensive.

As Amy finished speaking, there was a long silence. Artemis was the first to break it. "I say we go for it." 'I hate being a kitten.'

"Were you just asleep?" Luna demanded, "Amy said it could kill us!" 'I do not have any intention of having my atoms spread through time or being reborn! It's fun being a kitten. 'Sides, I'll finally have the time to properly train the girls to be Sailor Scouts and Serena to be a proper princess.'

The girls' mouths fell open. It was unlike Luna to speak like that. Artemis bristled, feeling just a tad insulted, he countered, "Luna, you were never one for strategy. Tactically speaking, we are not up to battling the newest enemy." He glared at her. "You're well-matched to Serena; both of you are quite thick."

"Why you oversized powderpuff..." Luna started over towards Artemis but Lita instead lifted her off the ground.

"Keep it down, or do you want Mrs. Tsukino and Chad to find out that you can talk?" Luna glared balefully at her feline cohort and growled.

The two kittens started a staring contest but Raye broke in, "We don't belong here. We're fourteen, not five." 'I want to have a talk with Chad.' "I'm tired of having to act like a little kid. I don't want Chad or Grandpa running my life!" 'I certainly don't like being punished like a little kid...' Raye thought darkly. She could understand it but she had no intention to let it continue on indefinitely.

"Oh come on, Raye!" Serena jumped in. "You mean to tell me that you don't like ANYTHING about being five?"

"I am fourteen. I've already gone through this childish stuff once and I have NO intention of repeating it! I certainly don't wanna go through puberty again!" She immediately flushed red. 'Kami, I don't believe I just said that.'

"What's that got to do with anything?" Reenie asked quizzically.

"Never mind!" the other girls chorused simultaneously.

"But..." Reenie started but noted the other girls were glaring at her. 'Sheesh... it's no fun being the youngest.'

"Look, we have good lives here. It isn't like any of us are all alone," Lita commented trying to get back on topic. "I don't wanna risk losing this one on the chance that we won't survive."

"Aren't you just becoming a little _too_ emotional, Lita?" Raye hissed. "I mean you actually want to commandeer Amy's family to try and replace yours?"

"Why you bratty little sack a..."

"Lita, Raye's just being testy," Mina interrupted while she and Serena blocked Lita's path. "I think what Raye was _trying_ to say is that you aren't looking at this thing objectively." 'I can't believe I'm saying this instead of Amy.' She looked sternly at ponytailed brunette. "If you start a fight, then we'll all be in trouble." 'I've stood in enough corners...'

Lita glared at Raye for several seconds before saying, "What about you, Mina? Do you think you can look '_objectively_' at this?" Her voice was controlled but it sounded hurt as well.

Mina wriggled uncomfortably for a moment before answering, "I think we should really try to get back. Being a kid is fine but, it ain't for me." 'I'd miss Carrie but I'll go see her.' She looked towards Serena. "Artemis is right. Tactically speaking, we aren't prepared to fight these new enemies. Scoutland was close; the school was closer. Sooner or later, someone's gonna get hurt."

"But you're the Sailor Scouts," Reenie pointed out, "I've seen you defeat them. And Darien will help you." She looked towards Serena. "You said that you didn't get along with the other Reenie so STAY! Stay here, Little Sister. I've seen how proud you get when you do good in school. How happy it makes you when your mommy says that she's proud of you." 'How you looked holding my hand...' She paused, cleared her throat, and then said, "If you go, who's going to help my mommy?"

Raye sent a silent apology towards Reenie before saying, "You stay out of this, Reenie. You won't be the one taking the risks and, as far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't even have a say in this!" She tried to glare at older girl but couldn't find it in her heart.

Reenie growled but Serena raised a hand. "Raye, Reenie is as much a part of this as you are." She regarded Raye. "I want you to apologize... NOW!" Serena stomped the floor with her foot. The others hoped it wouldn't bring Mrs. Tsukino or Chad up to investigate.

"Serena," Raye snapped. "If you stay five, then you'll have that much longer to wait for Darien." 'Sorry Serena... I'm sure he still loves you.' She saw that Serena's face had crumpled slightly but, amazingly, she recovered quickly. "Do you really want to grow up again?" She was fighting back the urge to provoke her pigtailed friend; it wouldn't get them anywhere.

Serena was silent for a few moments. "Amy, what do you think?"

Amy put her minicomputer on the bed and looked off into space for a few moments. "Serena, I wanna stay here. You already know my reasons." She looked over to Lita then back to Serena. "But if we're going to use this solution, we should hurry."

"Why?" everyone chorused at once.

"Because of the _chibi-chemistry_. The longer we stay five, the more of a hold it places on us. We'd keep our knowledge and experiences, our fourteen year old minds, but our bodies and personalities would be a child's."

"And how long would it take, Amy?" Artemis questioned. "I mean how long would it take to become permanent?"

"I don't know, Artemis." Amy's answer hung in the air. "It could be tomorrow; it could be next year. Each one of us is being affected at a different rate." Amy shook her head. "I'm not sure about the others, but I would say in my case, it would take approximately five to six weeks."

"Serena, if you stay here and help Reenie's mom, she'll leave," Raye stated bluntly. Serena turned to Reenie who sadly looked to the ground. The raven-haired girl continued, "What will you do then? Sammy will still be here as your BIG brother and he'll still bug you." She turned to Amy. "But what do you say, Amy? Do we try it or not?" 'You're the smart one. Don't you see it?'

"I don't want us to try," Amy said softly.

"What?" Mina demanded, "Are you nuts?"

"HEY!" Lita protested.

"It's okay, Lita," Amy said before Lita could do anything. "Mina, I could have kept this to myself. I decided to tell the rest of you because it's really up to Serena. She's the Moon Princess and our leader. I gave her all the information I have. I would prefer to stay... But I'll go along with the decision that Serena makes."

"You're leaving that decision up to HER?" Raye asked incredulously. "Serena, the girl who klutzes out all the time?" Mina and Artemis nodded their agreement.

Reenie balled her fists and took a step towards Raye. She wasn't about to let the little priestess hurt Serena's feelings again. It was Serena's hurt tone though that stopped her. "Raye, is that all you think of me? That I'm dumb?" Serena's lip trembled. "Raye, _that's_ why I wanna stay. So I can do better in school, to make my parents and friends proud of me."

"All you're doing, Serena, is running away from your real problems and hiding in a world that we _don't_ really belong in," Raye countered. "It's real to you but that's because **you want it to be real.**"

Serena trembled. She wanted to cry but couldn't. Raye's words hurt her deeply. 'If I stay here and Reenie leaves, then what am I going to do?' Serena worried. 'I have a hard enough time with Sammy when I'm fourteen.' She looked around the room. 'Amy and Lita like being sisters. Mina and especially Raye aren't happy with being five. Even Luna and Artemis can't agree.' She took a breath and said shakily, "Raye, don't you like anything about being five?"

"NO!" Raye snapped a little too quickly. 'Chad's a great big brother though.'

"Don't listen to Raye, Serena. She's always picked on you," Lita interrupted. "She tried to take over as leader before. She's just not willing to let her pride go."

"**MY PRIDE has NOTHING to do with it!**" Raye retorted. "At least I'm not pining over something that happened more than two years ago."

Lita turned around and started to sniffle. Amy scowled at Raye and said coldly, "Raye Hino, I thought you were an insensitive brat before, but this is ridiculous. Don't you understand her? Don't you feel _any_ loss?"

"No," Raye answered. "My past is long behind me. I'm fourteen years old and nearly an adult."

The atmosphere hung thickly in the room. The tension was high. Reenie was glaring at Raye who was doing the same. Mina seemed rather lost. She hadn't believed the debate could turn so nasty. Most everyone was in tears. Artemis and Luna were glaring at each other and Serena was, stumped.

Serena gave all the information she had some thought. It was hard to be objective but she tried. 'I'm the Moon Princess. I must try to be fair. Artemis is right. We have different problems. It was hard enough learning how to fight with Queen Beryl around. I don't know how we practice now but we'd have to learn to fight all over again. I know Luna and Artemis could train us but they might not have the chance.' Serena gave a little sigh. 'Darien doesn't love me in either reality but if I do win him back, being fourteen would be easier than being five. And what about Reenie? Would I doom this Reenie's mommy if we go back?'

The other girls watched Serena do internal battle, each hoping for their princess to decide in their favor. Raye was about to goad Serena for an answer when she spoke. "All right, let's try it," Serena decided in a soft tone of voice. 'I'm sorry, Reenie.'

"**YES!**" Raye and Mina declared together. Turning, they high-fived each other. Amy and Lita just stood there mute. Reenie pushed out of the circle and headed for the door.

"Reenie?" Serena asked but there was no response.

"She's just a sore loser," Raye indicated sarcastically. "She's the REAL child around here."

"Raye!" Serena snapped. "Reenie, I'm sorry!" she called but Reenie never turned around. She just rushed out of the room, the door banging closed behind her. 'Reenie...' Serena thought sadly, 'I'm sorry...'

# # # # #

**Part 15 "Twisting Paths"**

**S**erena was the first to move. She dashed out of the bedroom and into the hall. "Reenie!" she called. Reenie was down the hall a short distance, sniffling. Serena was about to console her big sister when her mother and Chad came up the stairs.

"What on earth happened?" Mrs. Tsukino demanded when she took in the scene of Reenie and Serena in tears.

"Raye was calling me names," Serena explained unable to stop herself. "Then Reenie and Raye started calling each other names." Serena added for effect, "Raye was REALLY mean to us, Mommy." She padded over towards Reenie and said, "Reenie, please don't cry."

Reenie just turned so she could hide her face and sniffled again before giving a hiccup. Serena just hugged the bigger girl and leaned her head on Reenie's back. Mrs. Tsukino and Chad moved past the two girls for the moment and into Serena's bedroom.

"Lita, what's the matter?" Ellen asked when she noted that Lita also had tears running down her face. 'What on earth were these children up to?'

"Raye said that my mommy wasn't real!" Lita gave a half-choked sob. "She said my mommy was a fake!" Amy wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her, trying to reassure her. Lita responded in kind and hugged Amy back.

"Raye, I want you to apologize," Chad ordered sternly.

"No!" Raye snapped, "It's all true!"

Chad started to growl but Mrs. Tsukino cut him off, "What started this whole thing?"

There was silence except for some sniffling. Mina glanced up towards Serena's mother before looking at the ground again. Sheepishly, apologetically Mina offered, "Raye thought that being five is bad and when Serena and Reenie didn't say so too, Raye started calling them names." 'I'm sorry, Raye, but you went too far.'

"Raye Hino, I want you to apologize this minute!" Chad demanded angrily.

"No!" 'I'm sorry but someone had to tell the truth.'

"Girls, why don't we go get ready and I'll drive Mina home." Lita and Amy nodded and left the room.

Mina shot a look towards Raye before hurrying after the girls. When she was in the hallway, she said, "Lita, don't be sad. You know what my mommy always says?"

"What?" Amy snapped defensively.

"_Sticks and stones may break my bones but Raye will always hurt me._" The room and hallway were silent for a moment before Lita snickered, a small smile showing on her face. Artemis looked up to the ceiling and rolled his eyed. 'Did I miss another one?'

"Raye, go get ready. We're going home," Chad said quietly.

"Good, who wants to stay around babies like them?" Raye snidely remarked, "Especially Mina and her stupid sayings." She then scurried from the room when Chad advanced on her.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Tsukino," Chad apologized. "I wish Raye hadn't acted so badly. I'm rather embarrassed." Walking towards the door, Chad announced, "I don't think Raye will be seeing any of the girls for awhile." 'She'll be spending some time sitting in the corner.' Ellen only nodded her head in understanding.

# # # # #

Serena was concerned. The more she tried to comfort Reenie, the more uncomfortable Reenie seemed to look. As Raye passed by heading for the stairs, Serena had the urge to stick her tongue out but it just didn't seem appropriate. Chad was close behind Raye. He wasn't looking very happy either.

"Reenie, what's the matter?" Ellen asked coming to crouch in front of the little girl. "Raye didn't hit you, did she?"

"No," Reenie said, "She was pickin' on Serena and I, then she started to call me names." Reenie sniffled. "I know I shouldn't have called her names back but I was so mad!" She looked at the ground. 'I was mad because Serena's going away and Raye's happy about it.'

Her aunt gave the second-grader a hug before saying, "Oh Reenie, I'm so proud of you for not fighting Raye like you did before. You're a great big sister for sticking up for Serena." Much to Ellen's surprise, Reenie broke out into a fresh stream of tears. Giving a sob, she twisted out of Ellen's light hug and ran into the bathroom banging the door closed behind her. "Reenie?" Ellen called worriedly. 'What did they say to each other?' Getting up, the mother of two walked over to the door and tapped on it. "Reenie-honey, come on out. Please?" Her only answer was a muffled sob.

'I'm sorry, Reenie,' Serena thought sadly, tears coming to her eyes, 'I wish I could make everybody happy... but I just don't belong here, like this.' However, she did feel something tugging at her heart. It was the bond that had formed for her own Reenie and it was going out to this one just as strongly.

# # # # #

Chad pushed the door to Raye's bedroom open and firmly guided her into the room. When he had the door shut again, he turned to look at the little girl sternly.

"Raye, I am _very_ disappointed in you," Chad began. "You were rude and mean to Serena, Lita, and Reenie. You were even ruder to Mrs. Tsukino!"

"But Chad..."

"**NO!**" he bellowed. Raye flinched and took a step back. Taking several deep breaths, Chad said in a softer tone, "I'm sorry for yelling, Raye. There was no reason to pick on Serena and Reenie. Serena tries as hard as she can and you hurt her feelings by making fun of her." He looked sternly at her. "I'm also ashamed of what you said to Lita, especially after this morning."

"I knew you'd take _their_ side," Raye said her bottom lip trembling, "You don't care about me." 'I only told the truth.'

"This has nothing to do with taking sides. I do care about you very much but what you did was WRONG!" Taking one of the small chairs in the room, he placed it so that the seat was towards the corner. "You, young lady, will be spending the rest of the day looking at this corner. Then you will be going to bed early." When he started to see a semi-relieved look on Raye's face, he continued, "You aren't getting off easy, Raye. I'm going to ground you. We'll talk about that tomorrow."

'Kami, that was close!' Raye realized. 'That idiot Serena got me into trouble.' She thought that Chad might leave her alone once she was settled on the chair looking at a very boring corner. However, this was a grave misconception. He was just settling her in for a lengthy lecture on her recent behavior, and Chad wasn't using kid gloves either.

# # # # #

Much to Mina's embarrassment, she was standing in a corner as well. However, it wasn't because she had been picking on anyone. Rather it was because she had attributed her misquoted saying to her mother. Mrs. Aino didn't seem to appreciate the humor of the moment, so Mina found herself in hot water again.

It didn't last long though. Five minutes later, Mina was released with a caution not to say rude things about people from her father. Mina flopped onto her bed and sighed.

"Mina?" Artemis asked softly coming into the room, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Mina replied rolling over on to her stomach, "Just that it really got nasty there." She started to swing her legs lazily. "I've never seen the girls fight that badly before."

"Luna told me once that Raye nearly bullied her way into being the leader before we knew that Serena was the Moon Princess."

Mina puffed out a breath before saying, "Artemis, was I wrong? I don't wanna be five. Raye pretty much said what I thought but I don't think she had the right to say it exactly that way."

"Mina, you said it the best way you could. Although high-fiving Raye was a little out of line." He nuzzled her slightly before saying, "It'll take time to heal, but I think the hurt will fade."

"I hope so, Artemis. I hope so."

# # # # #

'I don't want to go back,' Lita thought sadly as she lay in bed that night. 'I like having a sister, a mother. I'm finally happy. Why should I give it up just because two people don't like THEIR situation?' She felt Amy stir slightly beside her. 'Amy let Serena make that choice. I can understand that but...' She sniffled. 'If I didn't use my power to activate the Time Key, would I be that selfish?'

"Lita?" Amy asked softly, "Are you awake?"

Lita turned her head so she could look at her sister. "How could Raye say that, Sis?" she asked softly, a lump coming to her throat. "I thought she might understand, at least a little." 'She lost her mom. She knows how it feels.'

"I don't know, Lita," Amy admitted after a pause. "But what were you thinking? Why are you awake?"

Lita sighed slightly before saying, "Amy, I was thinking of not using my Jupiter powers." She saw her sister's expression and grimaced. "I don't want to go back. I'm so lonely when I am fourteen."

"You have us," Amy pointed out. "We won't be able to act the same; we've grown closer." 'I'll try to be a sister to you still.'

"I know you're trying to understand," Lita stated after a pause. "You're a wonderful friend, Amy, but you've always had a mom. Sure, she's busy but I mean when you come home, she will eventually be there. I come home to an empty apartment only filled with plants. I don't wanna go back to that."

"Serena made the decision. We have to accept it. She's our princess and we are duty bound to follow her. Lita, if you don't want to use your power, then I'll try to come up with a different source like Prisma." Amy looked seriously at Lita. "Just please... please don't use this to get revenge on Raye. If we have to use Prisma, then you're putting me and Serena, even Mina into unnecessary danger." Lita rolled over so her back was to Amy. "Sis, you are a kind person and revenge isn't what you do." There was silence. "Goodnight, Lita."

"Goodnight... Sis," Lita said, and she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. 'I don't want to lose you...'

# # # # #

Lita and Amy weren't the only ones that were having problems with sleep. Serena was wide-awake. So was Reenie but Serena wasn't aware of the fact.

'I don't want Serena to go,' Reenie mused. 'I could keep her here. Lita and Amy want to stay and Serena wants me as her big sister. I think Raye just bullied her into saying that they should try.' Reenie observed, 'That little brat. Even when she's fourteen, she acts like a five year old!' She clenched her fists together. 'Maybe I shouldn't let them use my key. I could keep Serena here and make that brat pay!'

Reenie hadn't even looked at Serena since they had dropped Mina off. In fact, she had spent most of her time outside, away from her. That hurt. It hurt Serena because Reenie wanted to avoid her but it hurt even more because she knew she was the cause of it.

The more Serena thought about it, the more depressed she got. She could feel the tiny lump in her throat growing and soon, she was sniffling. Biting her lower lip, she tried to hold in the tears and muffle the sob that wanted to escape. Finally though, she couldn't hold it back and it came out as a high-pitched expulsion of breath. Tears once again flowed freely.

"Serena?" came the voice from the side of her, "Little Sister?"

Serena didn't respond; she just cried. She felt arms hugging her and somebody talking to her but she was too busy concentrating on what she had done to listen. Eventually though, her tears ran dry and she gave a hiccupping sob before sniffling again.

"Serena, what's the matter?" It was Reenie's voice. It sounded worried, concerned.

"I don't wanna hurt you, Reenie," Serena managed to say croakily. "I'm so confused!" She buried her head into Reenie's chest and, hugging the older girl, she tried to get a little control over herself, but failed. "Raye and Mina don't wanna stay... Lita and Amy do. You want me to stay but, when your mommy's okay, then you'll be gone and I'll be all alone." She sniffled and remained silent for a moment. "I want Mommy and Daddy to be proud, but I'm not five as much as I might wanna be!"

Reenie hugged Serena tightly, guilt starting to work its magic. Reenie could feel her own eyes start to mist over. "But I don't wanna lose you, Serena. When you're big, who's going to save my mommy?"

Serena sniffled slightly and then she started to feel a little better. "Reenie, if I go back, then the Serena that was here _before_ I came will come back. You can still be a big sister to her. She really needs you. She can help your mommy." She looked up towards Reenie and said, "I don't want to hurt you, Reenie, but there's a very lonely little girl in my time that needs me to be a big sister like you." Now Serena hated lying. She would try to tell as much truth as she could. However, what she was telling Reenie was a lot of truth mixed in with a lot of guess work.

"But..." Reenie regarded the little blonde. "You understand me better than the other one."

"Big Sister... Reenie," Serena began gently, "If I stay, then so will everybody else. Lita and Amy might like it but I can't really do that to Mina, even Raye." Reenie looked like she was about to argue that point. "You're a great big sister and I love you. But in my heart, I know that the fourteen year old me doesn't belong here. No matter how much I'd like to stay."

Reenie's face crumpled and she sniffled, "I love you, Serena." She said softly, "I just don't want you to go."

"I'm sorry," Serena said again and hugged her sister close.

After a few moments, both girls cried themselves to sleep. And the night was still.

# # # # #

Late at night on Thursday, the girls, along with Reenie, and the kittens found themselves inside the original alley that they had ducked into when they first appeared. Reenie yawned. It was well past all of their bedtimes. She was trying to figure out why the others were able to be so alert with the possible exception of Serena.

"Let's get this over with," Raye huffed. "And lets hope this works." ''Cuz if it doesn't, I'm gonna get it from Chad for sneaking out _again_.'

"We have to transform," Amy ordered, "We should move down the alley a little further though, just so that nobody sees us."

"Are you sure about that?" Serena asked nervously, a wave of fear flowing over her, "It's kinda scary-looking." She felt Reenie take her hand and squeeze it. Serena turned and gave the girl a smile. 'Thanks, Big Sister.'

"Let's just do it," Mina prodded seeing that Raye was looking annoyed. "It won't really matter as long as no one sees us transform."

Nodding, the others drew out their transformation pens. Serena smiled and slowly drew her hand out of Reenie's. At Serena's nod, each Scout spoke their transformation phrase and the alley was flooded with magical light. As it swirled away, Reenie blinked. After her vision readjusted to the gloom, she found that the Sailor Scouts were looking at her intently.

"Here Serena, I mean, Sailor Moon," Reenie said. She reached inside her uniform top and drew out her Time Key.

"Please give it to Venus, Reenie," Sailor Mercury stated. "We have to repeat the events that regressed us as accurately as possible." Reluctantly, Reenie handed her key over to Sailor Venus who gave her a small smile of thanks.

"Reenie, you should go home," Sailor Moon suggested softly.

"Why?" Reenie said, "I need my key. I can't save Mommy without it."

"Reenie, you lost your key when Prisma attacked. Sailor Venus had it and you ran home." Sailor Moon gave Reenie a hug. "Don't worry, I promised I'd help save your mommy and I will."

Reenie sniffled and gave Sailor Moon a hug. "Good-bye, Little Sister, and good luck." With that Reenie turned, sadly waved, and ran down the alley towards the Tsukino home.

"Mercury, if we have to be exact, shouldn't we wait until it's daylight?" Mars asked starting to feel the first misgivings of this plan but forcefully pushing them aside.

"No, there would be too many people. Besides, there could be collateral damage," Mercury explained, "Be prepared for anything."

"Let's get this over with," Sailor Moon announced. "If this doesn't work, we'll all be in hot water with our parents." Carefully, she left the alley and looked around. The street was dark and deserted. Waving with her hand, the others followed and together the Scouts moved into the necessary positions.

"Venus, try and raise your arms the way you did before... Jupiter," Mercury paused. She took on an uncomfortable expression for a moment before saying, "Jupiter, don't aim for the Key."

"WHAT?" Jupiter and Venus asked together.

"Prisma wasn't aiming for the Key. If we aim your power for the Key, then it might not work properly."

Sailor Jupiter looked like she was about to protest but then nodded. "Okay, if Venus is willing."

"I guess I don't have very much choice in the matter," Venus agreed.

"NOW that that's settled, can we get on with this?" Mars demanded. "I'm starting to get cranky." 'This stupid body!'

"Now, Jupiter, charge your attack for two seconds before releasing it. That will correspond to the amount of energy Prisma released during her attack on Venus," Sailor Mercury instructed.

"Right." 'Maybe I could ask Mercury if Mars could hold the Key,' Jupiter briefly thought then shook the idea off, Amy's words coming back to her, 'You're starting to become something you're not.' "Okay, let's do it." She then braced and prepared her attack. When Mercury gave her the signal, Jupiter shouted, "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" '1001, 1002...' And she released her attack.

It sped out towards Venus and, at the last instant, hit the Time Key. Again, Venus dropped the hot Time Key, and a torrent of pink light swirled around the Sailor Scouts as reality shifted.

# # # # #

They heard a snarl. "I don't know how you stopped my attack but you're gonna pay!" 'How'd they release so much energy?'

Glancing towards the voice, the Sailor Scouts noted that it was now daylight and Prisma was there. The Scouts' first reaction was to panic. Droids had been bad enough but Prisma!

"**We're big again!**" Mars yelled joyfully. "Oh, I'm so gonna make you pay!" she said evilly as she pointed towards Prisma, "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" The rings of burning flame shot forth but Mars had aimed too high. Her attack passed over Prisma who started to chuckle. "**That isn't funny!**" Mars howled, "I'll show you!" Mars prepared to attack again but Prisma interrupted her.

'I better get out of here...' "Not this time!" Prisma shouted, "Droid Dee Zert come forth!"

"As you command!" the voice said. A woman standing five feet-six inches appeared. She was dressed in white clothing and had sandy brown hair and eyes.

"Finish off these Sailor Brats!" Prisma shouted. 'I'll get that key and the Rabbit after Dee Zert takes care of them.'

"Yes, Mistress..." Dee Zert said menacingly, "Sandblast!" Prisma smiled and disappeared.

"**Watch out!**" Sailor Moon cried and the Scouts scattered. The blast of sand streaked out and plowed into a car. The entire frame of the car shuddered for a moment before turning into a pile of sand.

"Oh my gosh!" Moon exclaimed, "Good thing nobody was in that!"

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" The chain of golden light whipped out and tried to ensnare the Droid but as it enclosed around the woman, it passed right through, as if she had been made of sand.

Jupiter found a good brace before firing off her own attack."JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" Mars yelled aiming lower this time.

Both attacks combined and slammed into the Droid. She blocked it by raising her arm, which superheated and then formed into glass. As the less cohesive part slid away, most of the Droid's arm fell to the ground and shattered.

"Ewww!" Sailor Moon whined, "That's disgusting!"

"MERCURY ICE STORM SPLASH!" Mercury's attack shot out and engulfed the Droid in its watery embrace. As the attack died away, the Droid had a different appearance. She was short now, dark brown and looking a lot more like mud than anything else. "Now, Sailor Moon, before she hardens!"

"RIGHT!" Sailor Moon nodded. "**MOON... SCEPTER... ELIMINATION!**" The scream the Droid emitted as the giant crescent moon sped on its deadly way was garbled and thick sounding. "**MOON DUSTED!**" Sailor Moon declared when the Droid was nothing more than the typical pile of dust or, in this case, sand.

"Finally," Sailor Mars breathed, "It looks like it worked, Mercury. Great job!"

Mercury fiddled with her minicomputer for a moment before saying, "It appears that we arrived almost instantaneously after we changed to five year olds. Physically, we are all fourteen years old again."

"So all those days we were five are gone?" Sailor Venus asked hopefully.

"Yes." Then Mercury furrowed her brow slightly, "However, it appears that it is now Saturday instead of Sunday."

"WHAT? Well if it's Saturday, how in the world did we get here and why were we attacking Prisma?" Mars demanded.

"It appears that the Time Key has rewritten history to adjust to our new situation. According to my readings, we shifted back twelve days, seven hours, and thirty-nine minutes."

"Will we meet ourselves?" Venus asked in a worried tone of voice.

"The chances are almost nil. Given that Prisma attacked us now, it would appear that we had the fight on Saturday instead of Sunday."

"So that means that we have an extra day?" Venus asked even more hopefully than before.

"Yes. Why?" Mercury asked looking up from her computer.

"That's great! I haven't lost a second of boy-chasing time then. In fact, I've gained a whole entire extra day! Well I'll see you guys later. Bye-ee!" And with that, Sailor Venus reverted back into Mina Aino and bounded off down the street.

"Well it looks like she still has the spirit," Raye observed after she had also detransformed back.

"Raye, you know it could have been worse," Amy commented.

"How's that?" Raye asked looking at her blue-haired friend closely. "What could be worse than being five and having Chad looking after you?"

Amy gave a slightly evil grin before saying, "You could have been two or three, and Chad could have been potty-training you." Raye's mouth dropped open and she stared with large eyes at Amy who giggled.

"Think about that, Raye," Lita interjected, "You could've been in training pants and having Chad help you in the bathroom!" She giggled herself at the look on the Shinto priestess' face. Raye had taken on a green tinge and was doing a fairly good fish impression.

"That's sick!" she finally blurted out. "Well, I better go and see what those two lunkheads are up to." She then quickly vacated the scene.

"I'll see you guys later." Serena bent down and picked the Time Key off the ground where Venus had dropped it. "I have to give Reenie back her key."

"Okay Serena, see you later," Lita said. After watching their friend go, Amy and Lita started walking down the street together in silence.

# # # # #

As Raye walked home, her common sense finally took back control from her ego. Now that she didn't have a five year old body to goad her, she was starting to realize that she had gone overboard.

'I can't believe I said those things,' she thought sadly, 'I was really cruel to Lita. If I had got back a mom, would I have felt any different? Was I just upset because Lita got a parent but I didn't?' It bothered her. It bothered Raye because she should've been able to understand Lita's feelings. 'I guess I really came down hard on Serena too.'

Raye sighed as she started up the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple. Sitting in the corner after Chad's scolding had given Raye a lot of time to reflect on what she had said. Now that she was back to normal, she could finally admit, at least to herself, that she was wrong.

"Hey Raye?" came the voice of Chad, "Is something wrong?"

Raye jerked to a stop. The leftover five year old part went into guilt mode. She looked up as if expecting to see Chad sternly looking at her but instead she came face-to-face with a shaggy mop of hair.

"Oh Chad!" she cried and embraced Chad in a massive hug.

The young man gave a squeak of surprise but didn't do anything else. He was too surprised to do anything else!

"**Raye!**" came the angry voice of her grandfather, "**You're too young to date. You have to wait until you're sixteen.**"

"Grandpa!" she shouted letting go of Chad, "I was just hugging him!"

"And I said **you're too young to date!**"

"I was not dating him!" Raye snarled. Snatching the broom out of Chad's hands, she took a swing at her grandfather who backpedaled. "Now Raye, Pumpkin..."

"I'm not your PUMPKIN!" She raised the broom to clobber her grandfather then stopped in mid-swing and smiled evilly, "I'm Chad's!"

Both men promptly fainted. Raye just giggled.

# # # # #

Even though Lita and Amy were walking in silence, they were not uncomfortable. In fact, they were enjoying each other's company. As time passed, Amy noted that they had passed by the corner that Lita should have turned at to go home but didn't say anything.

Lita was oblivious to the missed corner because her thoughts were more focused on the past two weeks. Her train of thought was interrupted when her stomach grumbled. 'I wonder what Mommy's going to make for dinner?' Lita blinked and stopped walking.

Amy, taken off-guard by her friend's sudden stop, missed it at first then noticed that she was walking alone. Turning around, she saw that Lita was a little ways back. Jogging up the busty teen, she asked, "Lita, what's the matter?"

"Amy, I just realized that I don't live with you anymore," Lita remarked, her eyes misty, forcing a smile. "Silly me. Now I'll have a longer walk from here to my apartment."

"You could come over to my place if you wanted to," Amy offered. "We've grown closer, Lita." She gently laid a hand on Lita's arm. "We can't act like sisters, but I don't want that closeness to disappear."

"I don't either, Amy," Lita agreed. "It's just a shock. I... I was wondering what your mom was going to make us for dinner." She seemed to have trouble saying "_your mom_" as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.

"Well you could still come over and have supper," Amy once again offered. 'Please... Mom's working late and I don't want to be alone.'

"No, it's okay. I've got some things to do at my place. Thanks anyways, Ames." Lita turned and started off down the street again.

"Good-bye, Lita!" Amy called after her fast retreating friend.

"Good-bye..." Lita started off, halted, and then whispered out, "Sis." A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled. 'I'll miss you.'

# # # # #

Serena was walking home when she heard a cry from the side. "**Serena!**" The voice sounded relieved. Before Serena could react, Reenie had shot out of a nearby alley with tears running down her cheeks and hugged the older girl, "They were tryin' to get me and... when the Sailor Scouts came, I ran away but I got lost!" Reenie admitted. 'I'm so scared. Hold me...'

"Oh Reenie!" Serena said and picked the girl up into a hug, "I have something for you."

The seven year old looked up and saw that Serena was holding her Time Key. Reaching up, she took it from Serena's hand and held it close. "Thank you, Serena. I thought I'd lost it."

"Sailor Moon told me to give it to you," Serena explained. She gave Reenie a bigger hug, happy to see that the little girl was all right.

As the seconds passed, Reenie realized something. She was hugging Serena and actually enjoying it. Squirming out of the hug, she gave her ditzy cousin a glare and said, "Well, Meatball Head, what are you tryin' to do? It ain't like I like you or anything!"

Serena's face crumpled slightly but she didn't yell. Instead, she sniffled a little before forcing a smile. "I'm just glad you're okay, Reenie. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." She noted the time and suggested, "Why don't we walk home. It's getting late. Mom'll be worried."

"I suppose. We don't want to miss your bedtime or anything," Reenie sneered. Serena held her hand out and the child looked at it as if it were going to bite. "I ain't going to hold your dumb hand, meatballs-for-brains."

'Why you ungrateful little...' Serena visibly controlled her temper and started to walk with Reenie beside her.

As they traveled down the street, Reenie taunted, "Whatsa matter? Gonna cry?" 'I hope she isn't hurt.'

"No, Reenie. I just wish we could be friends."

"Who'd want to be friends with you?" the pink-haired girl asked sarcastically.

Serena sighed. 'Where was that little girl that I cared about? Did I just make a bad choice? Should I have stayed?' These and similar thoughts occupied Serena's mind during the rest of their walk home.

As the two girls entered Serena's house, Ellen looked up and gave a small smile. "Did you have fun at Raye's, dear?"

"Oh Mommy, it was so scary!" Serena cried immediately and, bounding over to her mother, she hugged her wholeheartedly.

"_Mommy_?" Mrs. Tsukino questioned. "Serena, what are you up to?"

"Um well..."

"Serena!" her mother said sternly.

"Nothing Mommy... I mean Mom. I guess I was being silly."

"Got that right!" Reenie snapped from behind them, "How embarrassing. A cousin that's a REAL BABY!"

"Reenie!" Ellen said sharply forgetting her daughter for the moment.

"Yes, Aunt Ellen?" Reenie squeaked out.

"Reenie, you apologize to Serena."

"But..."

"Young lady, apologize this minute or you'll be spending some time in a corner!"

Reenie paled slightly and, after shuffling her feet for a moment, she reluctantly said, "I'm sorry, Serena. I didn't mean to call you a baby."

"That's okay, Reenie," Serena said sweetly. "I'm glad you apologized." 'Little Sister.' She gave Reenie a gentle pat on the head.

"It certainly isn't okay," Ellen stated. "Reenie, I want you to show Serena the proper respect an older cousin deserves."

Reenie looked like she was going to argue that point but her aunt's look made her change her mind. "Now, girls, go wash up for supper."

"'Kay Mommy!" Serena called and scampered up the stairs like a little kid.

'What a baby!' Reenie thought disgustedly, 'I'm glad I'm not a little kid.'

# # # # #

At about seven that evening, Serena was feeling tired. Yawning, she climbed the stairs heading for her room when she heard a muffled crash. She darted the rest of the way up the stairs and down the hall. When she got to her room, Serena threw the door open and stared in shock at the pile of junk that was once her prized radio.

Sitting on the floor was an equally surprised Reenie. She was looking at the radio with semi-horrified fascination. Stalking into the room, Serena closed the door solidly before turning on the little girl.

"**REENIE! What exactly do you think you're doing?**"

"I was looking for the Imperium Silver Crystal!" Reenie retorted scrambling to her feet, "This is _your_ fault!"

"WHAT?"

"Meatball Head, if you had given me the Silver Crystal, then I wouldn't have to look for it in your dumb stuff. It's your fault that the radio broke." 'I'm sorry, Serena.'

"Come here you!" Serena snarled. Stalking over, she snagged Reenie who had attempted to evade her. 'Why did I ever give up that other Reenie?'

"Now, Serena, you wouldn't hurt a _little_ kid, would you?" Reenie whined.

Serena paused. 'What am I doing? I want to get to know Reenie. To help her. This isn't what big sisters do.' Suppressing a mischievous grin, Serena put on a stern expression. "Now you're really going to get it, and I don't care what Mom says!" A slightly terrified expression spread across the child's face and Serena had to fight the urge to giggle. Placing her under one arm, so that Reenie couldn't see what Serena was doing, she proceeded to hunt for Mr. Floppy. It was one of the very few stuffed bunnies that she had managed to keep since childhood.

'I gotta get outta here before that meatball head does something that I'm not going to like one bit!' Reenie briefly considered pinching Serena but, given her current position, she dismissed the idea as unhealthy. 'What's that baby up to? If she had just given me the Silver Crystal, I wouldn't have to put up with her!'

Reenie was suddenly distracted from her thoughts when Serena sat on her bed. The older girl moved Reenie over to one knee so the little girl was sitting conformably. Before Serena could say anything, Reenie remarked, "Meatball Head, if you think I'm gonna just sit here like this, you're nuts! You aren't my mommy or anything!" She began to struggle trying to get away.

Serena gritted her teeth together and counted to ten. "Reenie, you can sit on my knee, or I'll put you over it. Your choice."

The seven year old suddenly stopped her endeavors and glared at Serena, "When did you become so smart?" she asked. She scowled when the teen smiled. "I guess I don't have any choice," Reenie grumbled and crossed her arms as she started to pout.

"I know it can be tough being a kid, Reenie," Serena observed. "I bet you want your mommy." Reenie didn't answer but Serena wasn't daunted. "You know when Sammy was born, I missed my mommy."

"Yeah so? What's your point?" the little girl snapped out.

"Well, my daddy bought this bunny rabbit for me," Serena explained while showing Mr. Floppy to her. "I know you think you're all alone and nobody likes you but I bet Mr. Floppy would like you."

"I'm not a little kid," Reenie said pushing the rabbit away. "I don't like playing with bunnies. They're for babies like you."

"Well, I'm getting a little old for Mr. Floppy. He needs a good home and someone to look after him. Reenie, I think you'd take real good care of him." Serena held the toy up for Reenie to see again and made one of the arms wave.

Much to her disgust, Reenie smiled slightly, 'Well he does look cute.' Furrowing her brow, she turned to Serena. "Why do you want me to take it? Aren't you mad about your radio?"

"I want you to have Mr. Floppy because he needs someone who can tell him secrets. I've already told him all of mine." 'Please take it, Little Sister.' Serena then looked longingly towards her radio for a few moments and then stated, "It was an accident. Everybody has accidents." 'Don't I know it,' Serena thought and giggled.

Reenie looked into Serena's eyes and gave the offer some thought. "Oh okay, if it'll make you happy. I still don't like it," she admitted, "But I suppose I can put him on my bed or something." She took Mr. Floppy and held him by his ears.

'Oh Mr. Floppy, I hope you can forgive me,' Serena thought and winced, 'But I really want Reenie to be my little sister and I have to get her to not hate me first.'

"Serena, can I go now?" Reenie huffed out, "I've taken your stupid toy."

'I have a feeling this is going to be a very long road,' Serena thought. Giving a sigh, she nodded. Reenie darted off of her knee and out of the room banging the door behind her. 'The other Reenie ran out of the room but because I was leaving. This Reenie runs out of the room to get away from me.' She felt the tears building in her eyes and her bottom lip started to quiver. 'Why doesn't she like me?' she sadly wondered, 'Why?'

# # # # #

Early Sunday morning several surprised people were greeted with a strange sight. Mina Aino was skipping along the sidewalk. Now skipping in itself isn't unusual, except she was fourteen. The teenager was feeling great. She had a mountain of energy and the day was nice and sunny.

'Won't Carrie be surprised!' Mina thought, 'I should really have visited more often. I will from now on.' As she skipped along, Mina reflected that although they were fourteen, some things were not back to normal yet. One being that she wasn't truly interested in boys. She was starting to feel the impulses cute boys generated but yesterday had been a total wash out. What was even more infuriating was that a nice fellow had actually asked her out. 'And all I could do was giggle!' the blonde thought darkly, 'I better get back my personality quickly...' Her thoughts turned darker still at Artemis' comments, 'How dare he say that being five improved my personality!'

Within a few minutes, Mina arrived at Carrie's door, her dark thoughts banished for the moment. As she knocked on the door, Mina wondered what the little girl's reaction would be. It had been over two months since her last visit with her.

"Mina?" came the voice of Carrie's mother, "I'm glad to see you." Her look, however, seemed to be asking why the older girl was at her house so early in the morning.

"Hello, Mrs. Sayama. I actually wanted to spend the day with Carrie. That is if it's okay with you," the ribbon-wearing teen explained. "I thought I'd watch some cartoons with her and then go to the park."

"Oh she'll be happy to see you. Come in. Carrie! Mina's here!"

"MINA?" came the surprised voice from the living room. Carrie came darting out dressed in a set of bunny pajamas with a small Sailor Moon logo on it. Seeing this, Mina chuckled. "What?" Carrie asked skidding to a stop in front of Mina, "What's so funny?"

'She seems so small now... But she's still a cute little rugrat.' "Nothing," Mina replied. "Can I watch some cartoons with you, Carrie?"

Carrie's eyes enlarged and she stared at the teen. "But I thought you didn't like watchin' them."

"Well I do now," Mina admitted. 'Must be because I got a new perspective from being turned into a kid again.' "I thought maybe we could watch some cartoons and then spend the day at the park. If your mommy says it's okay." Carrie gave Mina's leg a quick hug.

"Please Mommy?" Carrie asked turning to her mother, "Can I go with Mina?"

"Sounds good to me, Carrie. I can get some errands done then. Now I want you to be good for Mina."

"**Thanks Mommy! You're the best!**" Carrie cheered giving her mother's leg a quick hug. "Come on Mina, you don't want to miss this!" Taking Mina's hand, the little girl dragged her off into the living room to watch the television.

# # # # #

"You're fibbin'!" Carrie squeaked incredulously later that day. "The Sailor Scouts got shrunk? **They were all five years old, just like me?**" Now Carrie was inclined to believe her friend Mina on most occasions, especially when it came to Sailor Scout stuff. After all, the eighth-grader did know Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon, but Carrie was having trouble believing Mina's current tale.

"Carrie, I wouldn't ever fib to you," Mina answered. She giggled as Carrie rolled her eyes. "Now we really should get going. It's almost time for your nap and I'm feeling tired too."

"I don't like naps," Carrie declared. "I hate being five."

"Yeah being five can be pretty hard," Mina admitted. "But you know what they say."

"What?" Carrie asked.

"_Youth is wasted on the young._"

"Uh... Mina? What does that mean?"

"Dunno, my mom says that _all_ the time." 'So does Artemis for that matter.'

# # # # #

Hearing a knock at her bedroom door, Serena walked over and, upon opening it, she found Raye Hino was standing in the hall.

"Hi Serena," Raye greeted. She cautiously looked around before saying, "Where's Reenie?"

Serena smirked slightly before turning grim again, "Probably plotting my demise with Sammy. Right at the moment, she has Mr. Floppy hung by the neck in her room." 'Little Spore, shouldn't have given him to her. Maybe Sailor Moon should attempt a rescue!' "Come on in, Raye," Serena said while moving aside to allow Raye to enter.

"Serena, I'm sorry," Raye apologized once the door was closed. "I really acted badly and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." Serena's jaw dropped to the floor in shock. "I made you a Shinto good luck charm. Maybe it can help you with Reenie. You'll make a great big sister for her."

"Thank you," Serena managed to squeak out. Taking the charm, she slowly walked over to the bed and sat down. Raye walked over and took a seat at her best friend's desk. "Raye? Do you really think I'm dumb?"

Raye squirmed for a moment before saying, "Well you act really childish sometimes, Serena, and I guess it bothers me." She understood the reason why Serena's childish behavior bothered her but she wasn't able or willing to explain such a personal reason. "You're still a meatball head but I suppose you have your good qualities." 'And you're a wonderful friend.'

"Gee thanks," Serena retorted with sarcasm, "You're starting to sound like Reenie. To her, I'm only good as something to snuggle up against if she has a bad dream or someone to make fun of."

"Do you regret coming back, Serena?" Raye ask after a long moment of silence. Serena tilted her head in consideration for a few moments before shaking it. "So you're happy that you took the chance to get back to normal?"

"No," Serena confessed softly while looking at the floor, "If I had only myself to think about, I would have stayed." She lifted her eyes to regard her priestess friend. "But you were right. Staying was an option. It just wasn't the right one."

"**HEY, MEATBALL HEAD, WHATCHA DOIN'?**" Reenie yelled while walking into the room.

"**BEAT IT, SPORE!**" Raye snapped. Both Serena and Reenie blinked while Raye flushed brightly. 'Great, I have my old body back, but the five year old part of me is still hanging around. Kami, I hope it isn't permanent.'

# # # # #

After leaving Serena's, Raye slowly made her way towards Lita's apartment. The more each step took her closer to Lita's door, the further away her courage retreated. Somehow, excruciatingly, Raye managed to force herself into the building and up the steps towards her destination.

Once she arrived at Lita's apartment door, Raye reached out and gently tapped on the solid wood. There was no answer. 'This is silly,' she thought, 'Why should you be afraid of Lita?' Mustering her courage, Raye knocked more firmly on the door. After several seconds of silence, she decided that Lita must not be home and was about to turn down the hall when the door opened.

"You!" Lita's voice sounded hurt and angry, "What do _you_ want?" 'You took my mother and sister away from me!'

"Lita, I'm very sorry for hurting your feelings," Raye stammered out looking up at the tall teen. 'I got used to Lita being as tall as I was.' "I-I should have been a little more tactful when we were arguing. I know I said some things that hurt you, but I want to try and make that up to you." Taking out another Shinto good luck charm, Raye held it out. "I made this for you."

Lita took it and examined it. 'Raye apologizing?' "Come in," Lita said and held the door wider. Nervously, Raye stepped into the apartment. "So is this supposed to make everything all right?" the ponytailed teen asked after shutting the door and walking over to the couch.

"No," Raye admitted after taking a seat, "Lita, I guess I was insensitive towards you because I was jealous of you." She held up her hand to stop Lita from speaking. "I know that isn't a good excuse. There's no excuse good enough for that behavior. I'm ashamed of the way I acted."

"I had thought you of all people would understand, Raye," Lita remarked after a long pause. "You don't have a mother or father. You have your grandfather but the way you treat him..." she trailed off. "I thought you could understand how lonely I am here."

"Lita, you aren't alone. We care about you. That's some type of family," Raye said gently. "I learned that. Serena asked me if I hated everything about being five. I said '_yes_' but that wasn't true. I finally started to accept that Chad cared about me and accepted him as an older brother." Raye sighed. "I just don't want to see the Sailor Scouts break up because of what I said."

"I suppose it's a start, Raye." Lita offered, "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," the priestess accepted and gave her friend a small smile, "Thank you." Lita just smiled in return before going to prepare some tea. 'One step down the road. Several more to go,' she thought as she listened to Lita in the kitchen, 'And I think with Chad, there will be a few bumps.'

# # # # #

Late Wednesday afternoon was bleak. An easterly wind was pushing a large thunderhead in towards the city. As the sun struggled against the building clouds, Amy hung up the phone.

'Where is she?' Amy wondered as she walked to the living room, 'Lita's been gone from school for three days. She doesn't pick up her phone and nobody but Raye's seen her since Sunday.' What bothered Amy even more was that her brown-haired friend wasn't answering her communicator. It was working. Amy could at least tell that but what she couldn't tell why Lita wasn't answering.

'Yes I can,' Amy thought, her eyes growing misty, 'She isn't answering because she's avoiding me.' To know that Lita was actively avoiding her, to the point of not going to school, hurt deeply. 'So what am I going to do? We can't go on like this.'

"Amy?" came her mother's voice, "What's the matter?"

Being pulled from her thoughts for the moment, Amy looked towards her mother and gave a little sigh. "Mom, Lita's been avoiding me."

"Why?" Mrs. Anderson said shocked.

"Well, all the girls had a big fight Saturday, and Raye said some things that really hurt Lita." She walked over to sit beside her mother. "Lita's my best friend. I tried to help her but it's like she just doesn't want any help."

"Dear... I'm confused."

Amy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, let me start at the beginning. Or at least at the point where I'm clear about it."

Ten minutes later, Mrs. Anderson sat in a semi-horrified state. "That poor girl!" she finally managed, "So Raye accused Lita of trying to get closer to you to get a family of some sort?" Her daughter nodded. "Well... I-I don't really know what to say." 'I'm flattered Lita would consider me as a substitute mother but...'

"That's just it. Lita's been a good friend and I don't know what to do," Amy confessed exasperation showing through. "She's just about as bullheaded as Raye when it comes to admitting when she needs help. Or that she's lonely." She shook her head.

"You phone her, Amy, or go over to her place. Invite Lita over for supper on Friday night."

"I don't think she'll come, Mom," the teen assumed. 'Especially if she knew you were going to be here.'

"You're a bright girl, Amy. You will think of something," her mother said. "Now I'll start making a list. You can pick up the items tomorrow."

# # # # #

That evening Amy found herself in front of Lita's apartment door. She knocked and waited. After a few moments, the door opened and Lita peered out. "Hi Amy," came the soft greeting.

"Hi Lita, can I come in?"

"I suppose," Lita finally agreed moving aside the door. Amy stepped into the apartment and gaped. It wasn't as immaculate as usual. It was still clean but there were some schoolbooks strewn on the coffee table and a set of dishes were piled in the sink.

"Lita, are you okay?" she asked shocked. Lita's hair was disheveled, large circles were under her bloodshot eyes due to lack of sleep.

"Just peachy," Lita growled out after closing the door. "The past three nights, I've got a total of seven hours of sleep." She shuffled over to the couch and flopped down. "I keep having the nightmares about the plane dropping out of the sky."

'Oh Sis!' "Why didn't you tell someone? Why didn't you tell me?"

Lita glared at her former twin sister for a minute and then sighed. "Amy, were you the one trying to contact me?"

"Yes," Amy answered, some of the hurt showing, "I was worried about you."

Lita rolled to sitting position and sighed again. "I'm sorry, Amy... I just needed to be alone. I had some thinking to do."

Tentatively, Amy walked over and sat beside her friend. "Lita, all of us are worried about you. We want to help you." She placed a gentle hand on Lita's arm. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing important. What did you want?"

"I wanted to know if you'd come have supper with me Friday."

"I don't know..." the brunette hesitated. She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think that I could face your mom."

"Lita, grow up a little. You aren't some little kid who's going to be scolded. I saw the love that you were willing to offer for my mom. I saw how much love you needed. We can be closer; we can't be sisters but we _can_ have a closer relationship."

"I... It would hurt too much," Lita sniffled out, her eyes starting to mist over.

"Well, Mom won't be there Friday. She's working a double shift at the hospital and I was going to be all by myself. So please, Lita, come have supper with me?" The tall teen seemed reluctant. "Please, just once more. If you don't want us to mention the sister thing again, then I won't but only after you come to supper."

"I suppose, I could."

"Pretty please?" 'Sis,' Amy asked, then a mischievous part of her took over, "You do realize that if you keep moping around here, I'll be forced to tell the others you're feeling sorry for yourself and then, Serena and Mina will at a minimum insist on a party."

"Blackmail? You're getting underhanded since you were five." A small smile appeared on Lita's face.

"Common sense, so will you come?"

"Yeah okay, Ames. Just don't go announcing it on the news or anything." She gave Amy a hug.

# # # # #

Around the same time that Amy was talking to Lita, Serena found herself moping. The cause was simple. No matter how much she tried to talk to Reenie, the little girl just didn't want anything to do with her.

'I miss the other Reenie.' Serena sighed. 'I know this one can be good but sometimes, I wonder what I'm doing wrong...' Her thoughts were interrupted by the stomping of little feet that passed her door. After a few more seconds, the sound of a door slamming shut could be heard. 'Why's she throwing a temper tantrum?'

Getting up, Serena made her way out into the hallway and down to Reenie's room. She tapped softly on the door and waited for a response. There was none forthcoming so Serena softly opened the door. Reenie was lying on her bed hugging Mr. Floppy close. A small smile spread across Serena's face.

"Reenie?" Serena called softly.

"What do you want?" Reenie demanded in a sulky voice. She sat up and glared at Serena. 'She's probably going to tease me,' the child assumed. That's when she realized that she was still holding the bunny. She quickly laid it down next to her.

"Reenie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What do you care?" 'Aunt Ellen's too busy for me, Sammy doesn't want anything to do with me, and Uncle Ken isn't here. I miss Mommy and Daddy so much.'

"Well I was a little lonely and I started to wonder, would you like to go out for ice cream?" Serena asked hopefully.

"Not with you."

Coming into the room, Serena closed the door and padded over to sit beside Reenie on the bed. "It's tough without your mommy here, huh?" Reenie just stared straight ahead and didn't respond. "Reenie, what if I promise to give you the Imperium Silver Crystal AFTER Rubeus is stopped."

The girl turned to look at Serena hotly. "It isn't nice to tease a little kid, you know," Reenie remarked, "We both hate each other. Why don't you give me the Silver Crystal and I'll just leave."

"Reenie, I don't hate you." Reenie seemed unconvinced. Serena asked, "Why do you think I hate you?" Reenie just turned to look away from her. "Honey, I care about you. I know we fought before but I'd like to be your friend. When Rubeus is stopped, I'll give you the Crystal and Sailor Moon can come and help you save your mommy, I promise." She gently reached out and touched the child's shoulder, "Why don't we go get some ice cream."

"Why? Is Darien going to be there?" Reenie asked. "You just wanna use me to get to him!"

Gently turning Reenie's head, Serena looked into the little girl's eyes and promised, "If Darien's there, you can stay with him and I'll leave."

"REALLY?" Reenie asked surprised her eyes going wide. She sensed sincerity in Serena's offer.

"Yes," Serena nodded while looking at the floor, "Darien doesn't love me anymore, and I just seem to hurt him when I'm around." She raised her head and regarded Reenie. "Do you remember that time that you tickled me, when you were looking for the Silver Crystal, and I spanked you?"

"Yeah! That wasn't very nice," Reenie glowered. "What about it?"

"I'm sorry it happened. I shouldn't have gotten that mad at you."

Reenie blinked. "Why are you saying you're sorry now?"

"'Cause I realized that by not being your friend, I'm missing something very special. I want to help you and protect you because **I do care about you**."

"Well enough of this mushy stuff, Serena," Reenie huffed but Serena didn't miss the smile that she had on her face, "So are we going to get some ice cream or not?"

"Sure," Serena said and stood. 'I wish you'd take my hand, Little Sister,' Serena hoped as she walked towards the door. Oddly enough, Reenie must have read Serena's mind because the little girl did take her hand.

'A start... to something special,' they both thought silently. Hand-in-hand, they walked down the hall and out of the house, together.

# # # # #

"Hello Lita," Mrs. Anderson greeted the young woman on that Friday afternoon. Lita stared as if she had seen a ghost. "Is something wrong, Lita?"

"Um... ah... no. Amy said that you-I mean that..." Lita appeared to be flustered. 'The only real question is do I kill Amy now or wait until after supper?' "Hello Mo... Mrs. Anderson, I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Well, please come in." Mrs. Anderson then noted the bags, "Oh my, you didn't have to bring anything, Lita. I went shopping yesterday." She blinked. 'Did I just hear her growl?'

"Thank you," Lita said politely coming into the house, "I thought I'd make one of my special dishes." She caught sight of Amy who was coming into the kitchen looking slightly sheepish. "What a surprise. Amy TOLD me you were going to be working a DOUBLE shift today." She glared at her former sister frostily.

"Amy must have gotten the days mixed up," Mrs. Anderson explained. "Here, Lita, let me take those bags for you."

Lita handed the shopping bags over reluctantly to the woman and made her way towards Amy. Amy gulped slightly and took a step backwards. "Nice to see you, Lita. I hope you don't miss too much school. Maybe I can help you catch up."

"Why don't you two go do something while I cook dinner."

Lita stopped her slow advance on her genius friend for the moment and turned to Mrs. Anderson. "I'll help," she offered, "I was planning on cooking anyway."

"You were?" Mrs. Anderson questioned. "I thought Amy invited you for supper, not to make it." She pinned her daughter with her own glare.

"I did only invite her to dinner. It's a surprise to me too, Mom," Amy confirmed hopefully. "I mean Lita's a great cook, but I figured she'd bring something."

"I insist. Mrs. Anderson. I won't take no for an answer either."

"Well, I suppose... Okay, let's get started then." She sent Lita a wink and asked, "What would you like AMY to do?"

Lita giggled slightly. "Oh... how about washing the veggies?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

'Not to me!' Amy thought bleakly but the majority won out, 'Next time, I'll drag Mom off to Lita's.'

# # # # #

Amy's mother was in awe of Lita's cooking skills. Halfway through preparing supper, Lita had taken the kitchen completely over pushing both Andersons out of the room. Soon though, the smells emanating from the kitchen were too much to resist.

Mrs. Anderson came in and peeked into a pot. "Smells good," she commented.

"It should be done. Please have a taste," Lita offered handing her a spoon. Taking the spoon, the mother of one dipped it into the pot and lifted the still steaming contents out. Sniffing it, she made a face of delight before popping it into her mouth.

"Hmmm!" Mrs. Anderson commented, "This is good!"

Lita gave a small smile and blushed. "Try a piece of the meat." Mrs. Anderson obliged the request and took a small piece. As she chewed, her features went through mixtures of delighted motions.

"You know, Lita, you are an excellent cook." Lita's reaction was a surprise, she sniffled. Mrs. Anderson looked at the young woman in concern. "What's the matter, Lita?"

"Well, you sorta sounded like my mom," Lita admitted. "She used to say that, too." Her voice was growing thick and she sniffled again. "I used to help her cook when I was little, and Mom would always say that..." Lita trailed and made a little squeak, "She'd say I was good at cooking."

"Well you are. Your mother would be very proud of you," she assured the ponytailed teen.

Lita's lower lip began to tremble. Sniffling a little bit, Lita shook her head. "She'll n-never know that." The trembling grew a little more intense. "I won't ever get a chance to cook for her." Mrs. Anderson laid her fork down and walked over to the trouble young woman.

"But she knows, Lita, she knows. She's probably been keeping an eye on you and when you cook, she smiles and thinks '_I taught my daughter that_'." Unseen by the two, Amy had tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"But I'm so alone!" Lita finally admitted. "What's the use of being able to cook if you have no one to do it for? Why love to cook when you don't get any love back?" She gave a little sob and blinked, fresh tears rolling down her face. "Why?" As she looked past the older woman, a woman who for nearly two weeks had been a real mother to her, Lita saw Amy. She saw that Amy knew what she wanted, what she needed, and, most of all, approved.

Lita looked to Mrs. Anderson and gave another little sob. The recognition was on the woman's face as well. Reaching out, they both hugged, one giving the warmth only a mother could, the other drinking it in.

'I'm not alone,' Lita thought, 'I'm not alone.'

End of "_Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts_"

# # #

**Authors' Afterwords:** By "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

Well, it's finally done. I hope you enjoyed reading "_Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts_". Over one year in the making! I never knew when I suggested the _ACS_ kernel how long it would take or how many people would eventually become involved. There are many I wish to thank for their roles in making _ACS_ a reality.

First, to thank is my co-author **Doug Helm**. Without him, _ACS_ would have lost much of the emotion and a number of wonderful plot elements mentioned in reader comments. He is a great person to work with and we were continually bouncing ideas off of each other. How Doug is able to produce so much quality writing and run the main site that my SM Fanfics Archive site resides on is something I'm in awe of. (superseded by our Shoujo Fiction site) We don't seem to know when to stop. There are several more fanfics with Doug that I will be involved with in various capacities.

Next, to thank is Mike Chenoweth who began the discussions of _ACS_ with me. Mike and I spent the last quarter of 1996 knocking out most of the main plot elements in _ACS_. He was slated to co-author _ACS_ with me but his schedule didn't permit it to happen.

To Eric "_Greywolf_" den Biesen who co-authored the first three parts of _ACS_. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue for various reasons but he got the ball rolling and I thank him. I still remember the feeling I had seeing the first fleshed out rough version of Part 1 that Eric sent me.

Thanks to Jeanette Cheuk who took on the thankless job of editor and alpha reader. She found many minor problems and suggested a number of enhancements.

Thanks to our beta readers (alphabetically): Allan Huffaker, Jendra, Ethan Metsger, and Neo-Queen Serenity(Connie). These people fill a very necessary role. We get a lot of information from them about the plot and what works, what doesn't, and what needs improvement.

Thanks to our "_official_" story artists Chibi-Mars(Nicole) and Mako-chan(Jessica). Please come and visit the site to view their artwork and other guest artists.

And finally, thanks to our readers who took time to read this fanfic. Especially to those on the distribution list and outside of it who commented on an on-going basis to make _ACS_ even better. Kudos to our major commenter: Joeline Yeung, Rush-chan, Kevin Wible, Kenshin, and SKJAM.

That leads me to the future. As mentioned above things look good for 1998. "_Tales of Younger Venus_" is near completion at this writing. A side story to _ToYV_ called "_A Gem_" is slated (completed in 1998) as well as the sequel to _Tales of Younger Venus_ called _Tales of Younger Earth_ (completed in 2003). It will be another in the Tales of Younger Senshi Series. A sequel to ACS called appropriately "_Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts II_" is slated (completed in 2000).

Well that's it for me. Again thanks for reading. If you haven't commented, now's your chance. Don't be shy.

"_Tuxedo_" Will Wolfshohl

# # #

**Authors' Afterwords:** By Douglas Helm

Well as Will said, _ACS_ is finished. After getting a tantalizing whiff of the plot when I first became editor to this story, I was hooked. As time passed, and Eric had to drop out I was thrilled to have Will ask me to co-author another story with him. Will has made this project fun, as all our other projects. As a friend, he's one of the best I've had and he manages to see a good idea of what readers truly wants. Writing just wouldn't be as fun without him around.

It's true we don't know when to stop. I must confess that I'm likely the most guilty for coming up with story ideas. Will shown an enormous amount of patience that even some saints wouldn't have.

I'd like to extend a great big thank you to Jeanette as well. She's suffered through our tortured works and demanding schedules... which we kept on saying could wait until her real life was caught up.

That should do it for now, my thanks to the beta readers and our artist as well. To you the reader I also say thank you, for giving this story a try.

Douglas Helm

Shoujo Fiction™ and the Shoujo Fiction™ logo are a Trademark of Douglas Helm and Will Wolfshohl. Copyrighted ©2002-2003, All Rights Reserved.


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